• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.733-741
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• 2008

In the present study, we comprehensively examined the associations of plasma levels of total adiponectin and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin with the features of cardiometabolic risks including body fat distribution, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and inflammatory markers in a cross-sectional study of 110 treated hypertensive patients. Blood lipid profiles, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA- IR) derived from fasting glucose and insulin concentrations were determined. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were analyzed using ELISA. The results showed that plasma levels of HMW-adiponectin were negatively associated with body mass index (BMI, r = - 0.203, p < 0.05) and waist circumference (r = -0.307, p < 0.01), which was not shown in total adiponectin. Plasma levels of HMW-adiponectin were negatively associated with triglyceride (r = -0.223, p < 0.05) and positively associated with HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.228, p < 0.05). Plasma levels of adiponectin were positively associated with HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.224, p < 0.05). Plasma levels of HMW-adiponectin were negatively associated with hsCRP (r = -0.276, p < 0.01) and IL-6 (r = -0.272, p < 0.01). In addition, there were weak associations between plasma levels of HMWadiponectin and TNF-${\alpha}$ (r = -0.163, p = 0.07) and ICAM-1 (r = -0.158, p = 0.09). However, there were no significant associations of total adiponectin with inflammatory markers except hsCRP (r = -0.203, p < 0.05). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that only plasma levels of HMW-adiponectin was an independent factor influencing serum levels of hsCRP, a marker of systemic low grade inflammation, after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, waist circumference, alcohol intake, smoking status, blood lipids, total adiponectin and drug use (p < 0.01). These results suggest that HMW-adiponectin, rather than total adiponectin, is likely to be closely associated with the features of cardiometabolic risks in treated hypertensive patients and might be effective biomarker for the prediction of cardiovascular disease.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.7
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• pp.491-498
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• 2010

Chemerin is a novel adipokine which is abundant in adipose tissue to promote adipocyte differentiation and with significant relativity to BMI and insulin sensitivity. We report here the molecular characterization of porcine chemerin and its receptors ChemR23 and GPR1, as well as their transcriptional regulation during lipogenesis. Chemerin was mainly expressed in liver, intestine, kidney and adipose tissue, consistent with the expression pattern of GPR1, but not ChemR23, which was predominantly present in spleen and temperately in adipose tissue. We further investigated the lipogenesis-related transcriptional activation of $PPAR{\gamma}$ and KLF15 on chemerin and its receptors. The data showed that KLF15, but not $PPAR{\gamma}$, can up-regulate the mRNA level of chemerin, ChemR23 and GPR1, which was consistent with the results of luciferase assay that confirmed the effect of KLF15 on ChemR23 promoter. Taken together, our data provide basic molecular information for the further investigation on the function of chemerin in lipogenesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.637-643
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• 2013

We have demonstrated that 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) isolated from Bacillus subtilis MORI could enhance the levels of adiponectin and its receptors in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, which has been shown to be effective in lowering blood glucose levels and enhancing insulin sensitivity. DNJ was not toxic to differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes for up to a concentration of $5{\mu}M$. In terms of expression levels of adiponectin and its receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2), DNJ in concentrations as low as $0.5{\mu}M$ elevated both mRNA and protein levels of adiponectin and transcript levels of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2. In addition, DNJ increased phosphorylation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in a statistically significant manner. Finally, treatment with DNJ resulted in increased mRNA expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), which encodes for a glucose transporter, along with a significant increase in glucose uptake into the adipocytes based on results of a 2-deoxy-D-[$^3H$] glucose uptake assay. Our findings indicate that DNJ may greatly facilitate glucose uptake into adipose tissues by increasing the action of adiponectin via its up-regulated expression as well as its receptor genes. In addition, the glucose-lowering effects of DNJ may be achieved by an increased abundance of GLUT4 protein in the plasma membrane, as a consequence of the increased transcript levels of the GLUT4 gene and the activation of AMPK.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.779-783
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• 2006

The adiponectin gene is known to be involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis involving food intake, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Human adiponectin gene polymorphisms have been recently reported to be associated with obesity, insulin sensitivity and the risk of type 2 diabetes. The present study was carried out to investigate the porcine adiponectin gene as a candidate gene for fat deposition and carcass traits. A mutation of A178G of the porcine adiponectin gene that resulted in substitution of the amino acid Isoleucine to Valine was identified. AcyI PCR-RFLP was used to detect the polymorphism of the genotypes in five different pig populations (Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Chinese breeds Meishan and Qingping). The A allele frequency was significantly higher among subjects from Chinsese lard type breeds, while the G allele was the only one present in those from Western lean type breeds. To determine if there was an association of the polymorphism with phenotypic variation, the mutation was tested in 267 pigs of the "Large $White{\times}Meishan$" F2 resource population. The results of association analyses showed significant associations of the genotypes with fat deposition and carcass traits. Allele G was significantly associated with increase in loin eye height, loin eye area and lean meat percentage and bone percentage, and decrease in fat mean percentage, ratio of lean to fat, shoulder fat thickness, 6-7 rib fat thickness, thorax-waist fat thickness and buttock fat thickness. The substitution of A178G (Ile60Val) happened to be located at amino acid 60 in the collagenous domain of porcine adiponectin which might affect the association into higher-order structures, and accordingly affect the posttranslational modifications and optimal biological activity of the multimeric forms. The identified functional polymorphism provides new evidence of adiponectin as an important candidate gene affecting fat deposition and carcass traits in pigs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.640-650
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• 2020

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an atypical member of the FGF protein family which is highly synthesized in the liver, pancreas, and adipose tissue. Depending on the expression tissue, FGF21 uses endo- or paracrine features to regulate several metabolic pathways including glucose metabolism and energy homeostasis. Different physiologically stressful conditions such as starvation, a ketogenic diet, extreme cold, and mitochondrial dysfunction are known to induce FGF21 synthesis in various tissues to exert either adaptive or defensive mechanisms. More specifically, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha control FGF21 expression in adipose tissue and liver, respectively. In addition, the pharmacologic administration of FGF21 has been reported to decrease the body weight and improve the insulin sensitivity and lipoprotein profiles of obese mice and type 2 diabetes patients meaning that FGF21 has attracted huge interest as a therapeutic agent for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, understanding FGF21 remains complicated due to the paradoxical condition of its tissue-dependent expression. For example, nutrient deprivation largely increases hepatic FGF21 levels whereas adipose tissue-derived FGF21 is increased under feeding condition. This review discusses the issues of interest that have arisen from existing publications, including the tissue-specific function of FGF21 and its action mechanism. We also summarize the current stage of a clinical trial using several FGF21 analogs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.895-902
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• 2014

Adiponectin has been known to improve insulin sensitivity and elicit glucose uptake via increased glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation. In the current study, mRNA expression levels of adiponectin and GLUT4 were measured in subcutaneous adipose tissue from C57BL/6 mice fed normal (ND) or high-fat diet (HFD) until 16, 26, 36, 47, or 77 weeks of age starting from 6 weeks of age. Expression levels were also measured in mice with calorie restriction (CR) and in thiazolidinedione (TZD) treated mice. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we demonstrated that GLUT4 expression in adipose tissue significantly decreased in HFD mice groups and increased in CR (p<0.05) and TZD (p=0.007) groups while there was no difference in adiponectin mRNA expression levels between experimental and control groups. General linear regression models were used to assess the association of gene expression levels between adiponectin and GLUT4 and to determine whether adiponectin affects GLUT4 transcription. mRNA expression levels of adiponectin and GLUT4 are significantly associated each other in mice fed a ND (p<0.0001) or HFD (p<0.0001), in groups separated into each age and diet, and CR group (p=0.002), but not in TZD group (p=0.73). These results demonstrated that gene expression of adiponectin and GLUT4 is strongly associated, suggesting that there is a common regulatory mechanism for adiponectin and GLUT4 gene expression and/or adiponectin has a direct role in GLUT4 gene expression in adipose tissue.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.199-217
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• 2023

People with higher genetic predisposition to obesity are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and healthy plant-based foods may be associated with reduced risks of obesity and other metabolic markers. We investigated whether healthy plant-foods-rich dietary patterns might have inverse associations with cardiometabolic risk factors in participants at genetically elevated risk of obesity. For this cross-sectional study, 377 obese and overweight women were chosen from health centers in Tehran, Iran. We calculated a healthy plant-based diet index (h-PDI) in which healthy plant foods received positive scores, and unhealthy plant and animal foods received reversed scores. A genetic risk score (GRS) was developed based on 3 polymorphisms. The interaction between GRS and h-PDI on cardiometabolic traits was analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM). We found significant interactions between GRS and h-PDI on body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.02), body fat mass (p = 0.04), and waist circumference (p = 0.056). There were significant gene-diet interactions for healthful plant-derived diets and BMI-GRS on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p = 0.03), aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.04), alanine transaminase (p = 0.05), insulin (p = 0.04), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (p = 0.002). Adherence to h-PDI was more strongly related to decreased levels of the aforementioned markers among participants in the second or top tertile of GRS than those with low GRS. These results highlight that following a plant-based dietary pattern considering genetics appears to be a protective factor against the risks of cardiometabolic abnormalities.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.22-44
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• 1994

Clinical observations were done on 67 cases with Diabetes Mellitus in CVA patients who were confirmed by CT scan and observed for over 1 week, admitted to the Dept. of Internal Medicine in Oriental Medical Hospital of Dongguk University from January 1992 to December 1993. The results were as follows; 1. 86 patients (15.3%) with Diabetes Mellitus were found in 561 CVA patients, the 6th decade of age was 40.2%, the ratio of male to female was 0.72:1. 2. The local distribution of CVA was similar to common CVA, and occlusive CVD was 83.6%, cerebral hemorrhage was 16.4% in this study. 3. The association between blood glucose and years were not significant. The largest ratio of fasting blood glucose were 140-199 mg/dl (44.6%) in admission, below 139 mg/dl (51.8%) in discharge in case of occlusive CVD. In cerebral hemorrhage, that were 140-199 mg/dl(45.5%) in dmission, below 139 mg/dl (45.5%) in discharge. The largest ratio of pp2hrs blood glucose were 200-299mg/dl in admission and discharge both occlusive CVD and cerebral hemorrhage. 4. The total sensitivity of urine glucose was 71.6%, and sensitivity of urine glucose in cerebral hemorrhage (81.8%) was more higher than that of occlusive CVD (69.6%). 5. Below 4 years had the highest prevalence(44.8%) in duration of diabetes mellitus. Patients usually used oral hypoglycemic agents(41.8%), insulin injection(23.9%) treatment and non-therapeutic was 17.9% in this study. 6. Predisposing factors and symptoms in admissin were similar to common CVA. The conscious disturbance on attacck was 41.1% in occlusive CVD, and that was 63.7% in cerebral hemorrhage. 7. The most common ratio of the season's attack was spring (44.8%), 8. The frequency of post history was as follows, hypertension (44.8%), heart disease (10.4%), and they were in below 199 mg/dl (83.3%) of fasting blood glucose. 9. The family history of CVA was 46.3%, and they was higher than nondiabetic patients. 10. The recurrence rate of CVA was 28.4%, and that of occlusive CVD(28.6%) was higer than cerebral hemorrhage's (18.2%). 11. The smoker was 52.2%, the drinker was 38.9%. 12. The complications was occured in 10 cases (14.9%) after admission, and they frequently occured than common CVA. 13. In admission, the ratio of systolic blood pressure in over l60mmHg was 42.9%, that of diastolic blood pressure in over l00mmHg was 12.5% in occlusive CVD. In cerebral hemorrhage, the ratio of systolic blood pressure in over l60mmHg was 54.5%, that of diastolic blood pressure in over l00mmHg was 27.3%. 14. The average beginned time of physical theraphy was, generally lated, 8.3 days in occlusive CVD, 11.2 days in cerebral hemorrhage. Average admitted period was longer than common CVA, and was 29.2 days in occlusive CVD, 11.2 days in cerebral hemorrhage. 15. The degree of recovery were 82.1% in occlusive CVD, 72.7% in cerebral hemorrhage. 16. The herb medications were various Sunghyanggeonggisans, Sopungtang, Ganghwalyupungtang, Yanggyuksan etc. were used most frequently, and Yukmijihwangtang, Gamidaebotang, Mangeumtang etc. were used as discharge.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2015

Recently, much attention has been paid to the development of a value-added food category containing probiotics so as to improve human health and prevent diseases. Among various foods, the health benefits of milk and dairy products are known to humanity, and could be attributed to the bioactive components present in milk. In fermented milk products, the health benefits could be due to suitable modulation activities produced by the action of probiotic bacteria. Besides the modification of various milk components, probiotics might also act directly as preventive and therapeutic agents against some severe diseases. Probiotics promote health via their positive effects on the immune response, stimulation of natural immunity, and modulation of the production of antimicrobial peptides, cytokines, and so on. Whey proteins, a byproduct of cheese production could also have anticarcinogenic, immunostimulatory, antimicrobial, and health-promoting activities such as improving insulin sensitivity and reducing fat deposition. Therefore, milk and dairy products containing probiotics could provide various opportunities in the field of functional foods. Additionally, these functional foods may be important in the human diet and may help improve human health and prevent diseases.