Chondrocytes from osteoarthritic cartilage of obese patients show altered adiponectin receptors expression and response to adiponectin

The Anti-Obesogenic Effects of Muscadine Grapes through Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Receptor (Cntfr) and Histamine Receptor H1 (Hrh1) Genes in 3T3-L1 Differentiated Mouse Cells

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are prevalent metabolic diseases that have significant links to several chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Muscadine grape extracts have shown the potential to reduce adiposity and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose control. Thus, this study was designed to determine the potential of muscadine grape berries extract (Pineapple and Southern Home) for its antiobesity properties in 3T3-L1 cells as a model for obesity research. The current study's data indicated the total phenolic content (TPC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydraziyl (DPPH) activity were higher in cultivar (CV) Southern Home, meanwhile, elevated the total flavonoid content (TFC) in Pineapple. Both extracts were safe across the tested range (0-5 mg/mL). A noticeable reduction in lipid accumulation was also found in extract-treated cells. In preadipocytes and adipocytes, the tested extracts showed significant alterations in various genes involved in glucose homeostasis and obesity. The most remarkable findings of the current study are the upregulation of two genes, Cntfr (+712.715-fold) and Hrh1 (+270.11-fold) in CV Pineapple extract-treated adipocytes 3T3-L1 and the high fold increase in Ramp3 induced by both Pineapple and Southern Home in pre-adipose cells. Furthermore, the tested extracts showed a potential to alter the mRNA of various genes, including Zfp91, B2m, Nr3c1, Insr, Atrn, Il6ra, Hsp90ab1, Sort1, and Npy1r. In conclusion, the data generated from the current study suggested that the two extracts under investigation are considered potential candidates for controlling insulin levels and managing obesity.

Association of Osteoarthritis Prevalence With Age and Obesity Factors in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Countries: Panel Regression Model

INTRODUCTION

According to cross-sectional analysis studies supported by microdata, incidence of Osteoarthritis increases in parallel with ageing and obesity, which are common predictors of the disease. The aim of this study is to reveal whether ageing and obesity have an effect on the increase in osteoarthritis prevalence by analyzing cross-country data from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

METHODS

We used static panel data regression analysis for 36 countries for the period between 2000 and 2017. Along with osteoarthritis prevalence, we used a group of people with a body mass index ≤ 30 within the population as obesity indicator and those older than 65 yrs within the population as ageing indicator. We calculated the effect of ageing and obesity on osteoarthritis prevalence using STATA 13 software.

RESULTS

Both variable coefficients, age, and obesity, respectively, were found to be positive and statistically significant at the 1% level. This study shows that both ageing and obesity contribute to an increase in the osteoarthritis prevalence based on macro data from 36 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have significant implications that can be used by both the public and policymakers for preventing the osteoarthritis. Adopting the preventive measures could contribute to decrease in health expenditures.

Role of Leptin and Adiponectin in Carcinogenesis

Hormones produced by adipocytes, leptin and adiponectin, are associated with the process of carcinogenesis. Both of these adipokines have well-proven oncologic potential and can affect many aspects of tumorigenesis, from initiation and primary tumor growth to metastatic progression. Involvement in the formation of cancer includes interactions with the tumor microenvironment and its components, such as tumor-associated macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblasts, extracellular matrix and matrix metalloproteinases. Furthermore, these adipokines participate in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and connect to angiogenesis, which is critical for cancer invasiveness and cancer cell migration. In addition, an enormous amount of evidence has demonstrated that altered concentrations of these adipocyte-derived hormones and the expression of their receptors in tumors are associated with poor prognosis in various types of cancer. Therefore, leptin and adiponectin dysfunction play a prominent role in cancer and impact tumor invasion and metastasis in different ways. This review clearly and comprehensively summarizes the recent findings and presents the role of leptin and adiponectin in cancer initiation, promotion and progression, focusing on associations with the tumor microenvironment and its components as well as roles in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis.

ATAC-seq reveals the roles of chromatin accessibility in the chondrocytes of Kashin-Beck disease compared with primary osteoarthritis

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the roles of accessible chromatin in understanding the different pathogeneses between Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and primary osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Articular cartilages of KBD and OA patients were collected, and after tissue digestion, primary chondrocytes were cultured in vitro. Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) was performed to compare the accessible chromatin differences of chondrocytes between KBD and OA groups. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were executed for the promoter genes. Then, the IntAct online database was used to generate networks of significant genes. Finally, we overlapped the analysis of differentially accessible region (DAR)-associated genes and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) obtained from whole-genomic microarray. Results: We obtained 2,751 total DARs, which contained 1,985 loss and 856 gain DARs and belonged to 11 location distributions. We obtained 218 motifs associated with loss DARs, 71 motifs associated with gain DARs, 30 motif enrichments of loss DARs, and 30 motif enrichments of gain DARs. In total, 1,749 genes are associated with loss DARs, and 826 genes are associated with gain DARs. Among them, 210 promoter genes are associated with loss DARs, and 112 promoter genes are associated with gain DARs. We obtained 15 terms of GO enrichment and 5 terms of KEGG pathway enrichment from loss DAR promoter genes, and 15 terms of GO enrichment and 3 terms of KEGG pathway enrichment from gain DAR promoter genes. We obtained CAPN6 and other 2 overlap genes from loss DARs-vs-down DEGs, AMOTL1 from gain DARs-vs-down DEGs, EBF3 and other 12 overlap genes from loss DARs-vs-up DEGs, and ADARB1 and other 10 overlap genes from 101 gain DARs-vs-up DEGs. These overlap genes were built into 4 gene interaction networks. Conclusion: FGF7, GPD1L, NFIB, RUNX2, and VCAM1 were the overlapped genes from the DAR-associated genes and DEGs. These genes were associated with the abnormal chondrocyte function, which may play crucial roles in different processes between KBD and OA in the way of accessible chromatin.

The Role of Adipokines in the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic and immune-mediated skin condition characterized by pro-inflammatory cytokines and keratinocyte hyperproliferation. Dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, and keratinocytes represent the main cell subtypes involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, while the interleukin-23 (IL-23)/IL-17 pathway enhances the disease progression. Human adipose tissue is an endocrine organ, which secretes multiple proteins, known as adipokines, such as adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, or resistin. Current evidence highlights the immunomodulatory roles of adipokines, which may contribute to the progression or suppression of psoriasis. A better understanding of the complexity of psoriasis pathophysiology linked with adipokines could result in developing novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategies. This review aims to present the pathogenesis of psoriasis and the roles of adipokines in this process.

Osteoarthritis: New Insight on Its Pathophysiology

Understanding of the basis of osteoarthritis (OA) has seen some interesting advancements in recent years. It has been observed that cartilage degeneration is preceded by subchondral bone lesions, suggesting a key role of this mechanism within the pathogenesis and progression of OA, as well as the formation of ectopic bone and osteophytes. Moreover, low-grade, chronic inflammation of the synovial lining has gained a central role in the definition of OA physiopathology, and central immunological mechanisms, innate but also adaptive, are now considered crucial in driving inflammation and tissue destruction. In addition, the role of neuroinflammation and central sensitization mechanisms as underlying causes of pain chronicity has been characterized. This has led to a renewed definition of OA, which is now intended as a complex multifactorial joint pathology caused by inflammatory and metabolic factors underlying joint damage. Since this evidence can directly affect the definition of the correct therapeutic approach to OA, an improved understanding of these pathophysiological mechanisms is fundamental. To this aim, this review provides an overview of the most updated evidence on OA pathogenesis; it presents the most recent insights on the pathophysiology of OA, describing the interplay between immunological and biochemical mechanisms proposed to drive inflammation and tissue destruction, as well as central sensitization mechanisms. Moreover, although the therapeutic implications consequent to the renewed definition of OA are beyond this review scope, some suggestions for intervention have been addressed.

Adipokine Signaling Pathways in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease that affects millions of individuals. The pathogenesis of OA has not been fully elucidated. Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for OA. Multiple studies have demonstrated adipokines play a key role in obesity-induced OA. Increasing evidence show that various adipokines may significantly affect the development or clinical course of OA by regulating the pro/anti-inflammatory and anabolic/catabolic balance, matrix remodeling, chondrocyte apoptosis and autophagy, and subchondral bone sclerosis. Several signaling pathways are involved but still have not been systematically investigated. In this article, we review the cellular and molecular mechanisms of adipokines in OA, and highlight the possible signaling pathways. The review suggested adipokines play important roles in obesity-induced OA, and exert downstream function via the activation of various signaling pathways. In addition, some pharmaceuticals targeting these pathways have been applied into ongoing clinical trials and showed encouraging results. However, these signaling pathways are complex and converge into a common network with each other. In the future work, more research is warranted to further investigate how this network works. Moreover, more high quality randomised controlled trials are needed in order to investigate the therapeutic effects of pharmaceuticals against these pathways for the treatment of OA. This review may help researchers to better understand the pathogenesis of OA, so as to provide new insight for future clinical practices and translational research.

mtDNA haplogroup A enhances the effect of obesity on the risk of knee OA in a Mexican population

To evaluate the influence of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups on the risk of knee OA in terms of their interaction with obesity, in a population from Mexico. Samples were obtained from (n = 353) knee OA patients (KL grade ≥ I) and (n = 364) healthy controls (KL grade = 0) from Mexico city and Torreon (Mexico). Both Caucasian and Amerindian mtDNA haplogroups were assigned by single base extension assay. A set of clinical and demographic variables, including obesity status, were considered to perform appropriate statistical approaches, including chi-square contingency tables, regression models and interaction analyses. To ensure the robustness of the predictive model, a statistical cross-validation strategy of B = 1000 iterations was used. All the analyses were performed using boot, GmAMisc and epiR package from R software v4.0.2 and SPSS software v24. The frequency distribution of the mtDNA haplogroups between OA patients and healthy controls for obese and non-obese groups showed the haplogroup A as significantly over-represented in knee OA patients within the obese group (OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.22–4.05; p-value = 0.008). The subsequent logistic regression analysis, including as covariate the interaction between obesity and mtDNA haplogroup A, supported the significant association of this interaction (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.24–5.32; p-value = 0.011). The statistical cross-validation strategy confirmed the robustness of the regression model. The data presented here indicate a link between obesity in knee OA patients and mtDNA haplogroup A.

Nesfatin-1 facilitates IL-1β production in osteoarthritis synovial fibroblasts by suppressing miR-204-5p synthesis through the AP-1 and NF-κB pathways

The progression of osteoarthritis (OA) is mediated by adipokines, one of which is nesfatin-1, which is responsible for the production of inflammatory cytokines. However, how this molecule may affect the synthesis of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) in OA is unclear. Our analyses of records from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset and clinical specimens of synovial tissue revealed higher levels of nesfatin-1 and IL-1β in OA samples compared with normal healthy tissue. We found that nesfatin-1 facilitates IL-1β synthesis in human OA synovial fibroblasts (OASFs) and suppresses the generation of micro-RNA (miR)-204-5p, as the miR-204-5p levels in OA patients were lower than those in healthy controls. Nesfatin-1-induced stimulation of IL-1β in human OASFs occurred via the suppression of miR-204-5p synthesis by the PI3K, Akt, AP-1 and NF-κB pathways. We suggest that nesfatin-1 is worth targeting in OA treatment.