Resistin levels and inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction markers in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

The potential of short-chain fatty acid epigenetic regulation in chronic low-grade inflammation and obesity

Obesity and chronic low-grade inflammation, often occurring together, significantly contribute to severe metabolic and inflammatory conditions like type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer. A key player is elevated levels of gut dysbiosis-associated lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which disrupts metabolic and immune signaling leading to metabolic endotoxemia, while short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) beneficially regulate these processes during homeostasis. SCFAs not only safeguard the gut barrier but also exert metabolic and immunomodulatory effects via G protein-coupled receptor binding and epigenetic regulation. SCFAs are emerging as potential agents to counteract dysbiosis-induced epigenetic changes, specifically targeting metabolic and inflammatory genes through DNA methylation, histone acetylation, microRNAs (miRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). To assess whether SCFAs can effectively interrupt the detrimental cascade of obesity and inflammation, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence for their clinical application. The review emphasizes factors influencing SCFA production, the intricate connections between metabolism, the immune system, and the gut microbiome, and the epigenetic mechanisms regulated by SCFAs that impact metabolism and the immune system.

Prospective Association of Circulating Adipokines with Cardiometabolic Risk Profile Among Women: The Rape Impact Cohort Evaluation Study

BACKGROUND

Sexual violence is associated with poor cardiometabolic outcomes, yet the etiopathogenic pathways remain unclear. Adipokines may contribute to pathways in the development of cardiometabolic disease (CMD), including in vulnerable populations. Further investigation of adipokines among sexually traumatized individuals may inform cardiometabolic screening. This study aimed to investigate the association between circulating adipokines, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and longitudinal change in MetS components (namely abdominal obesity, blood pressure, lipid profile, and glycemic status) over a 1-year period in a cohort of rape exposed (RE) and rape unexposed (RUE) females.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seven hundred seventy-eight RE and 617 RUE black South African women aged 18-40 years were recruited for the Rape Impact Cohort Evaluation study. Nonfasting blood samples were analyzed for cardiometabolic variables and adipokine levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum adiponectin was measured in both RE and RUE and resistin, leptin, and leptin/adiponectin (L/A) ratio in RE only. Associations between baseline serum adipokines, MetS, and its components were assessed at baseline and follow-up using adjusted linear and logistic regressions.

RESULTS

In the RE group, adiponectin, leptin, and L/A ratio were significantly associated with MetS prevalence cross-sectionally (all p ≤ 0.001). No adipokine marker was related to incident MetS at 12-month follow-up. In the RE group, significant longitudinal associations with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were shown for adiponectin (β = 0.146 [0.064], p = 0.022) and leptin (β = 0.001 [0.002], p = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that adipokines may have a potential role as biomarkers to identify RE individuals at high risk for CMD.

Obesity: A Doorway to a Molecular Path Leading to Infertility

The dramatic rise in obesity has recently made it a global health issue. About 1.9 billion were overweight, and 650 million global populations were obese in 2016. Obese women suffer longer conception time, lowered fertility rates, and greater rates of miscarriage. Obesity alters hormones such as adiponectin and leptin, affecting all levels within the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) are inflammatory cytokines that may play an important role in the pathophysiology of ovarian dysfunction in obesity. In obese males, there are altered sperm parameters, reduced testosterone, increased estradiol, hypogonadism, and epigenetic modifications transmitted to offspring. The focus of this article is on the possible adverse effects on reproductive health resulting from obesity and sheds light on different molecular pathways linking obesity with infertility in both female and male subjects. Electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Embase, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Search Engine were utilized to find obesity and infertility-related papers. The search strategy is detailed in the method section. Even though multiple research work has shown that obesity impacts fertility in both male and female negatively, it is significant to perform extensive research on the molecular mechanisms that link obesity to infertility. This is to find therapeutics that may be developed aiming at these mechanisms to manage and prevent the negative effects of obesity on the reproductive system.

Sex- and gender-differences in chronic long-term complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Italy

AIMS

This review summarizes the contribution of Italian diabetologists devoted to a better understanding of the complex relationship linking sex/gender and long-term complications of type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) over the last fifteen years.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes show sex- and gender-related differences, involving pathophysiological mechanisms, epidemiological features and clinical presentation, due to the interaction between biological and psychosocial factors. These differences greatly impact on the progression of diabetes and its long-term complications, especially in the cardiovascular, renal and liver districts.

CONCLUSION

A better knowledge of such sex- and gender-related characteristics is required for a more precise patient phenotypization, and for the choice of a personalized antihyperglycemic treatment. Despite such mounting evidence, current diabetes clinical guidelines do not as yet adequately consider sex/gender differences.

Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells, Obesity and the Tumor Microenvironment of Breast Cancer

Simple Summary

Adipose tissue is the major microenvironment of breast cancer. Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (ASCs/MSCs) are key players in adipose tissue. ASCs/MSCs, particularly in the obese state, are critical in remodeling the tumor microenvironment and promoting breast cancer progression. In this review, we have addressed the impact of obesity on ASCs/MSCs, summarized the crosstalk between ASCs/MSCs and breast cancer cells, discussed related molecular mechanisms, and highlighted related research perspectives.

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and a common cause of cancer-related death in women. It is well recognized that obesity is associated with an enhanced risk of more aggressive breast cancer as well as reduced patient survival. Adipose tissue is the major microenvironment of breast cancer. Obesity changes the composition, structure, and function of adipose tissue, which is associated with inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Interestingly, adipose tissue is rich in ASCs/MSCs, and obesity alters the properties and functions of these cells. As a key component of the mammary stroma, ASCs play essential roles in the breast cancer microenvironment. The crosstalk between ASCs and breast cancer cells is multilateral and can occur both directly through cell–cell contact and indirectly via the secretome released by ASC/MSC, which is considered to be the main effector of their supportive, angiogenic, and immunomodulatory functions. In this narrative review, we aim to address the impact of obesity on ASCs/MSCs, summarize the current knowledge regarding the potential pathological roles of ASCs/MSCs in the development of breast cancer, discuss related molecular mechanisms, underline the possible clinical significance, and highlight related research perspectives. In particular, we underscore the roles of ASCs/MSCs in breast cancer cell progression, including proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, migration and invasion, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cell development, immune evasion, therapy resistance, and the potential impact of breast cancer cells on ASCS/MSCs by educating them to become cancer-associated fibroblasts. We conclude that ASCs/MSCs, especially obese ASCs/MSCs, may be key players in the breast cancer microenvironment. Targeting these cells may provide a new path of effective breast cancer treatment.

Sex-Specific Impact of Different Obesity/Metabolic Phenotypes on Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

Obesity, a major risk factor for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), is a multifaceted disease with different metabolic phenotypes and sex-specific features. Here, we evaluated the long-term cardiovascular risk by different obesity/metabolic phenotypes and by sex in ACS patients. The occurrence of the composite outcome of death, nonfatal reinfarction with or without PCI and/or stroke was evaluated in 674 patients (504 men; 170 women), consecutively hospitalized for ACS and followed-up for 7 years, who were stratified in metabolically healthy (MHNW) and unhealthy normal weight (MUNW), and in metabolically healthy (MHO) and unhealthy obese (MUO) groups. At baseline, 54.6% of patients were included in the MHNW group, 26.4% in the MUNW, 5.9% in the MHO and 13.1% in the MUO, with no sex-differences in the distribution of phenotypes. The overall rate of major outcome (100 person-years) in the reference group (MHNW) was higher in men than in women (RR: 1.19 vs. 0.6). The Kaplan–Meier curves for cumulative survival free from cardiovascular events according to obesity/metabolic status diverged significantly according to sex (log rank test, p = 0.006), this effect being more prominent in men (log 11.20; p = 0.011), than in women (log 7.98; p = 0.047). Compared to MHNW, the risk increased in obese men (RR: 2.2; 95% 1.11–1.54 in MUO group), whereas in women the risk was confined to metabolically unhealthy subjects (RR: 3.2; 95% CI 1.23–9.98, MUNW group). Our data show a sex-specific impact of obesity phenotypes on long-term cardiovascular risk in patients hospitalized for ACS.