Differences in the development of the obese-hyperglycemic syndrome in obob and NZO mice

Enhanced gastrointestinal passive paracellular permeability contributes to the obesity-associated hyperoxaluria

Most kidney stones (KS) are composed of calcium oxalate and small increases in urine oxalate enhance the stone risk. Obesity is a risk factor for KS, and urinary oxalate excretion increases with increased body size. We previously established the obese ob/ob ( ob) mice as a model (3.3-fold higher urine oxalate) to define the pathogenesis of obesity-associated hyperoxaluria (OAH). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the obesity-associated enhanced small intestinal paracellular permeability contributes to OAH by increasing passive paracellular intestinal oxalate absorption. ob Mice have significantly higher jejunal (1.6-fold) and ileal (1.4-fold) paracellular oxalate absorption ex vivo and significantly higher (5-fold) urine [¹³C]oxalate following oral gavage with [¹³C]oxalate, indicating increased intestinal oxalate absorption in vivo. The observation of higher oxalate absorption in vivo compared with ex vivo suggests the possibility of increased paracellular permeability along the entire gut. Indeed, ob mice have significantly higher fractions of the administered sucrose (1.7-fold), lactulose (4.4-fold), and sucralose (3.1-fold) excreted in the urine, reflecting increased gastric, small intestinal, and colonic paracellular permeability, respectively. The ob mice have significantly reduced gastrointestinal occludin, zonula occludens-1, and claudins-1 and -3 mRNA and total protein expression. Proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress, which are elevated in obesity, significantly enhanced paracellular intestinal oxalate absorption in vitro and ex vivo. We conclude that obese mice have significantly higher intestinal oxalate absorption and enhanced gastrointestinal paracellular permeability in vivo, which would likely contribute to the pathogenesis of OAH, since there is a transepithelial oxalate concentration gradient to drive paracellular intestinal oxalate absorption. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study shows that the obese ob/ob mice have significantly increased gastrointestinal paracellular oxalate absorption and remarkably enhanced paracellular permeability along the entire gut in vivo, which are likely mediated by the obesity-associated increased systemic and intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress. A transepithelial oxalate concentration gradient driving gastrointestinal paracellular oxalate absorption exists, and therefore, our novel findings likely contribute to the hyperoxaluria observed in the ob/ob mice and hence to the pathogenesis of obesity-associated hyperoxaluria.

Murine Models of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: a "Fishing Expedition"

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by signs and symptoms of HF in the presence of a normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF). Despite accounting for up to 50% of all clinical presentations of HF, the mechanisms implicated in HFpEF are poorly understood, thus precluding effective therapy. The pathophysiological heterogeneity in the HFpEF phenotype also contributes to this disease and likely to the absence of evidence-based therapies. Limited access to human samples and imperfect animal models that completely recapitulate the human HFpEF phenotype have impeded our understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings that exist in this disease. Aging and comorbidities such as atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, pulmonary hypertension and renal dysfunction are highly associated with HFpEF. Yet, the relationship and contribution between them remains ill-defined. This review discusses some of the distinctive clinical features of HFpEF in association with these comorbidities and highlights the advantages and disadvantage of commonly used murine models, used to study the HFpEF phenotype.

Prediabetes linked to excess glucagon in transgenic mice with pancreatic active AKT1

Protein kinase B/AKT has three isoforms (AKT1-3) and is renowned for its central role in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation, due to its constitutive activation in various cancers. AKT2, which is highly expressed in insulin-responsive tissues, has been identified as a primary regulator of glucose metabolism as Akt2 knockout mice (Akt2(-/-)) are glucose-intolerant and insulin-resistant. However, the role of AKT1 in glucose metabolism is not as clearly defined. We previously showed that mice with myristoylated Akt1 (AKT1(Myr)) expressed through a bicistronic Pdx1-TetA and TetO-MyrAkt1 system were susceptible to islet cell carcinomas, and in this study we characterized an early onset, prediabetic phenotype. Beginning at weaning (3 weeks of age), the glucose-intolerant AKT1(Myr) mice exhibited non-fasted hyperglycemia, which progressed to fasted hyperglycemia by 5 months of age. The glucose intolerance was attributed to a fasted hyperglucagonemia, and hepatic insulin resistance detectable by reduced phosphorylation of the insulin receptor following insulin injection into the inferior vena cava. In contrast, treatment with doxycycline diet to turn off the transgene caused attenuation of the non-fasted and fasted hyperglycemia, thus affirming AKT1 hyperactivation as the trigger. Collectively, this model highlights a novel glucagon-mediated mechanism by which AKT1 hyperactivation affects glucose homeostasis and provides an avenue to better delineate the molecular mechanisms responsible for diabetes mellitus and the potential association with pancreatic cancer.

Catabolism of amino acids in livers from cafeteria-fed rats

Most studies using a hypercaloric diet to induce obesity have focused on the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates. Less concern has been given to the metabolism of amino acids, despite evidence of modifications in nitrogen metabolism during obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate amino acid metabolism in livers from cafeteria diet-induced obese rats. Blood parameters were analysed, and histological sections of livers were stained with Sudan III. The enzymatic activities of some enzymes were determined in liver homogenates. Gluconeogenesis, ureagenesis, and oxygen consumption were evaluated in rat livers perfused with glutamine, alanine, or ammonium chloride. Compared to control rats, cafeteria-fed rats demonstrated higher levels of triacylglycerol and glucose in the blood and greater accumulation of fat in livers. Gluconeogenesis and urea production in livers perfused with glutamine and alanine at higher concentrations showed a substantial reduction in cafeteria-fed rats. However, no significant difference was observed among groups perfused with ammonium chloride. The activities of the enzymes alanine aminotransferase, glutaminase, and aspartate aminotransferase in the livers were reduced in cafeteria-fed rats. Taken together, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that livers from cafeteria diet-induced obese rats exhibit a limitation in their maximal capacity to metabolise glutamine and alanine to glucose, ammonia, and urea, not because of an impairment in gluconeogenesis and/or ureagenesis, but rather due to a depression in the activities of enzymes that catalyse the initial steps of amino acid metabolism.

beta-cell function in obese-hyperglycemic mice [ob/ob Mice]

This review summarizes key aspects of what has been learned about the physiology of pancreatic islets and leptin deficiency from studies in obese ob/ob mice. ob/ob Mice lack functional leptin. They are grossly overweight and hyperphagic particularly at young ages and develop severe insulin resistance with hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. ob/ob Mice have large pancreatic islets. The beta-cells respond adequately to most stimuli, and ob/ob mice have been used as a rich source of pancreatic islets with high insulin release capacity. ob/ob Mice can perhaps be described as a model for the prediabetic state. The large capacity for islet growth and insulin release makes ob/ob mice a good model for studies on how beta-cells can cope with prolonged functional stress.

Obesity and post-prandial lipid metabolism. Feast or famine?

Both in Western countries and in third world countries there is an increasing incidence of obesity. Obesity per se or insulin resistance associated with obesity may increase cardiovascular risk factors including dyslipidemia, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. Over the past decade the understanding has increased of specific mediators in the hypothalamus that are involved in regulating food intake and body weight. In obese humans fasting plasma lipids can be normal but postprandial lipid metabolism is abnormal with an accumulation of triglyceride-rich remnant lipoproteins. In viscerally obese men chylomicron remnant catabolism was markedly decreased when compared with lean individuals. The decreased clearance of chylomicron remnants in viscerally obese subjects may be explained by competition between chylomicron remnants and the increased hepatic production of VLDL for clearance by low density lipoprotein receptors. Increased food intake in rodent models of obesity was shown to be associated with a delay in the catabolism of remnant lipoprotein particles. Prevention of hyperphagia was found to correct the impairment in the metabolism of remnant lipoproteins. Under fasting and food restricted conditions the improvement of remnant metabolism was associated with an increased oxidation of remnant lipids as determined by a novel stable isotope breath test. Anti-obesity and lipid lowering drugs have been used for the treatment of obesity. Inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis inhibitors (statins) have been shown to be effective in treating dyslipidemia. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis with Atorvastatin was shown to improve chylomicron metabolism by increasing chylomicron remnant catabolism in obese subjects as assessed by the newly developed stable isotope breath test.

Ethanol-induced hypothermia and hyperglycemia in genetically obese mice

Blood glucose and rectal temperatures were monitored in two strains of genetically obese mice (C57 BL/6J ob/ob) prior to and following intragastric ethanol administration in an attempt to relate the hypothermic response to ethanol to extracellular glucose concentration. In contrast to expectation, ethanol administration was typically associated with a hyperglycemia and a hypothermic response. In the ob/ob genotype, the hypothermic response was associated with pronounced hyperglycemia which was more emphatic in older animals. The data support the conclusion that ethanol-induced hypothermia is independent of blood glucose levels. In light of the known sensitivity of ob/ob mice to insulin, it is suggested further that the observed hypothermic response was not a function of the animals' ability to transport glucose into peripheral cells. The observed hyperglycemia of the obese animals was most likely stress-related.

Furosemide-induced glucose intolerance in mice is associated with reduced insulin secretion

The effect of furosemide on carbohydrate metabolism was studied in ob/ob mice. Intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of furosemide (200 mg/kg body weight) into fasted mice resulted in acute hyperglycaemia and two days after such a single dose, the mice showed fasting hyperglycaemia and glucose intolerance. Pancreatic islets from mice that had been injected with furosemide (200 mg/kg body weight) two days prior to the in vitro experiments showed increased basal (3 mmol/1 D-glucose) and decreased glucose-stimulated (20 mmol/1) insulin release. Islets from furosemide- or saline-injected animals showed no difference in islet insulin content. The results show that furosemide has both acute and long-term effects on carbohydrate metabolism in ob/ob mice. It is suggested that this, at least in part, is due to an effect on the pancreatic beta-cells.

Abnormalities of pancreatic exocrine function in obesity: studies in the obese mouse

Insulin is known to play a specific role in the biosynthesis of pancreatic amylase. In the insulin resistant adult C57 BL/6J--ob/ob mouse there is a reduction of pancreatic amylase content. The differences of enzyme content could not be explained by differences of food intake between obese and lean mice, but are more likely to be the consequence of insulin resistance at the level of the exocrine pancreas. By contrast, greater pancreatic content of amylase and lipase seen in young obese mice (less than 2-months old) was associated with the greater food intake of these mice with respect to lean controls.

Increased insulin binding and glucose transport in white adipocytes isolated from C57B1/6 ob/ob mice treated with the thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonist BRL 26830

Obese (ob/ob) mice were treated with the thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonist BRL 26830 for 14 days. White adipocytes prepared from these animals showed significant increases in insulin receptor number, with no change in the affinity for these receptors. Increased receptor number was accompanied by increased glucose transport, as measured by 2-deoxyglucose uptake in vitro.

Age-related changes in liver and adipose tissue pyruvate dehydrogenase of genetically obese mice

Changes of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in liver and epididymal fat pad were examined longitudinally in obese mice (C57BL/6J-ob/ob) and their lean controls as a function of age. Total pyruvate dehydrogenase in liver was expressed on several reference bases because of differences in hepatic cellularity and protein content between obese mice and their age-matched lean controls. When total hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase was expressed on a protein basis, the enzyme activity was elevated in obese mice older than 28 weeks in age when compared to lean controls of a similar age. However, when expressed on a DNA basis, total pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in livers of obese mice up to 10 weeks in age was increased when compared to the age-matched lean control. The proportion of hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form was also augmented significantly in obese mice from 5 to 28 weeks of age. In 18-week-old obese mice, the proportion of total pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form of adipose tissue was significantly higher than that of the lean controls. When expressed on a DNA basis, total pyruvate dehydrogenase in the fat pad was also increased in obese mice up to 10 weeks in age when compared to age-matched controls. Total pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in the epididymal fat pad was higher in obese mice than the lean controls in animals as old as 32 weeks in age when the enzyme activity was expressed per 100 g body weight. The increase in the active form and total activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase in both liver and epididymal fat pad during the dynamic early phase of obesity would augment the capacity for acetyl-coenzyme A formation necessary in the support of an accelerated lipogenesis and fat deposition.

Hormonal, metabolic and morphologic studies of aged C57BL/6J obese mice

Genetically obese mice (C57BL/6J-ob/ob), fed ad libitum, demonstrated a precipitous increase in the spontaneous death rate after 50 weeks. The first signs of morbidity were a ruffled hair coat and a progressive motor ataxia. Necropsy revealed that obese mice had pale and fatty livers, urolithiasis and grossly distended bladders. Microscopically, the hepatocellular changes observed in all aged obese mice included: a loss of orientation of hepatocytes, an enormous variability in the size of both hepatocytes and their nuclei, and an extensive deposition of both large and small lipid droplets, confirmed by an increase content of triacylglycerols. A subacute-to-chronic, multifocal, necrotizing hepatitis was also present. Kidneys from aged obese mice contained hypertrophied glomeruli and increased PAS-stained material. Tubular dilation with compaction of the tubular cells was also seen. There were no significant alterations in the microanatomy or mineralization of femurs from obese mice, yet there was a significant increase in plasma alkaline phosphatase activity. In obese mice at 62-63 weeks of age, hyperglycemia was present even in spite of hyperinsulinemia. Pituitary immunoreactive ACTH and its molar ratio to pituitary immunoreactive beta-endorphin were also increased in obese mice at this age. Even though the etiology of the decreased lifespan of genetically obese mice remains uncertain, the possibility is discussed that an overall defect in the central nervous system may be involved.

Effect of adrenalectomy on the metabolism of glucose in obese (C57 Bl/6J ob/ob) mice

The genetically obese mouse, C57 B1/6J ob/ob, has been suggested as an appropriate model for the study of obesity associated with diabetes mellitus. Employing glucose 14C(microliter) as a tracer, the data presented here indicate that obese mice are able to clear glucose from the blood compartment at the same rate as their lean littermates. This was demonstrated with or without an associated cold glucose load. The abnormal glucose tolerance curves observed in the obese animals may be a result of secretion of glucose into the blood. Removal of the adrenal glands from the obese mice and their lean littermate does not impair their ability to clear a glucose load from the vascular compartment. The capacity for endogenous glucose secretion of ob/ob mice is severely curtailed by adrenalectomy, in that the glucose tolerance curves of these adrenalectomized animals become similar to those of sham-operated lean littermates. Thus, it appears that a considerable component of the hyperglycemia in ob/ob mice reflects major adrenal involvement that is activated by stress, ie, ether anesthesia and blood sampling. The hyperglycemia in ob/ob mice may reflect glucocorticoid-dependent gluconeogenesis.

Age-related changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism of the genetically obese mouse

Obese mice (C57BL/6J ob/ob) and their lean controls were studied longitudinally from immediately post-weaning until 62 wk of age, at which time the experiment was terminated. The dynamic nature of the metabolic aberrations of the obese mouse syndrome was clearly demonstrated. Obese mice were hyperinsulinemic at all ages yet the concentration of glucose in plasma was elevated only at 5-20 wk and 63 wk of age, but was similar to that of lean mice at 20-60 wk of age. Triacylglycerols accumulated in the liver of obese mice between 5 and 18 wk of age to a level that was 20-fold greater than that found in the age-matched lean control. A decreased concentration of DNA/g of liver was also found in 5-18 wk-old obese mice, indicative of an enlarged hepatocyte. With the exception of 5-wk-old animals, total DNA per liver was increased in obese mice when compared to the lean control throughout the profile. Following the peak in 18-wk-old mice, the hepatic content of triacylglycerols precipitously fell so that at 45 wk of age its concentration in obese mice was similar to that of the lean control. Plasma free fatty acid levels as well as liver glycogen content were comparable in obese mice and their lean controls throughout the profile. In obese mice older than 45 wk of age, the content of triacylglycerols in plasma was significantly lower than that of the age-matched lean control while an accumulation of liver triacylglycerols was again found in obese mice. Myocardial triacylglycerols were elevated in obese mice when compared to the lean control at all ages. The longitudinal metabolic profile of the obese mouse developed in the present study clearly demonstrates the dynamic nature of the deviations in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in this animal model of human obesity and insulin resistance.

Laboratory animals exhibiting obesity and diabetes syndromes

Spontaneous hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and obesity are common features for at least one period of the lifetime in some strains of mice. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the pathogenesis of the diabetes-like syndrome, making these strains excellent models for studies in both obesity and diabetes-like states. The metabolic peculiarities can be due to a dominant gene, as for the yellow obese, or a single recessive gene, as in the obese and the diabetes mouse; or they can be of polygenic origin, as for the KK and the NZO mouse. However, the severity of the metabolic disorder is due to the interaction of the mutant genes iwth modifiers in the bat genes themselves. Studies on the pathophysiology and biochemistry of these animals have revealed interstrain differences, different patterns of development of the metabolic disorder, and different degrees of severity of the diabetes-like syndrome. Although the primary causes of the syndrome remain unclear in some strains, an involvement of hypothalamic feeding centers has been implicated.

An impaired response of adenylate cyclase to stimulation by epinephrine in adipocyte plasma membranes from genetically obese mice (ob/ob)

The present studies have established that there is an impaired response to epinephrine of the adenylate system in adipocyte preparations from obese hyperglycemic mice as compared to their thin littermates. In contrast, membrane preparations from both groups of animals were found to exhibit a similar response to fluoride ion. The response of adenylate cyclase to epinephrine was enhanced to a similar extent by increasing the ATP concentration in adipocyte plasma membranes from the two groups of animals. While GTP (0.1 muM) elicited an ATP-like response of similar magnitude in adenylate cyclase activity in both membrane preparations, it did not therefore abolish the impaired response to epinephrine of adenylate cyclase activity in membranes of obese mice. The response of adenylate cyclase activity to (--)-epinephrine in membrane preparations from obese mice progressively diminished with the age of these animals. In contrast, the concentration of (--)-epinephrine required for half-maximal stimulation of adenylate cyclase was similar and remained unchanged with the age for both membrane preparations. These data suggest that a perturbation may occur in the coupling step between the hormone receptor and the catalytic site of the adenylate cyclase system in obese mice. While a 15-day restrictive diet or a 72-h period of fasting was found to normalize the hyperinsulinemia of obese animals, neither affected the response of adenylate cyclase to epinephrine in preparations of adipocyte membranes from these mice. These results suggest that the observed defect in the response of plasma membrane adenylate cyclase activity to epinephrine in obese mice does not result from their hyperinsulinism.

Carbohydrate metabolism of the isolated perfused liver of normal and genetically obese--hyperglycaemic (ob-ob) mice

1. A technique for perfusion of the mouse liver has been developed, and aspects of carbohydrate metabolism have been investigated in the perfused liver of normal and genetically obese mice, homozygous for the recessive gene ob. 2. Rates of gluconeogenesis in perfused mouse liver were faster than those reported for slices of mouse liver, particularly from lactate and pyruvate. 3. The rate of glycogen breakdown to glucose, but not to lactate, was faster in liver from fed obese mice. 4. The capacity for glycogen synthesis from glucose was enhanced in liver from 20h-starved obese mice. 5. The capacity for gluconeogenesis from a number of substrates was not significantly altered in livers from fed or starved obese mice when compared with that of lean mice. 6. These results suggest that the liver contributes to the hyperglycaemia of the obese mice by increased glycogenolysis, and that liver glycogen in obese mice is maintained by synthesis from dietary glucose.