Eid R, Alqahtani SM, Abd Ellatif M, Al-Ani B, Albawardi A. Lower Extremity Arterial Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Metformin Inhibits Femoral Artery Ultrastructural Alterations as well as Vascular Tissue Levels of AGEs/ET-1 Axis-Mediated Inflammation and Modulation of Vascular iNOS and eNOS Expression

Lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) is a major risk factor for amputation in diabetic patients. The advanced glycation end products (AGEs)/endothelin-1 (ET-1)/nitric oxide synthase (NOS) axis-mediated femoral artery injury with and without metformin has not been previously investigated. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was established in rats, with another group of rats treated for two weeks with 200 mg/kg metformin, before being induced with T2DM. The latter cohort were continued on metformin until they were sacrificed at week 12. Femoral artery injury was established in the diabetic group as demonstrated by substantial alterations to the femoral artery ultrastructure, which importantly were ameliorated by metformin. In addition, diabetes caused a significant (p < 0.0001) upregulation of vascular tissue levels of AGEs, ET-1, and iNOS, as well as high blood levels of glycated haemoglobin, TNF-α, and dyslipidemia. All of these parameters were also significantly inhibited by metformin. Moreover, metformin treatment augmented arterial eNOS expression which had been inhibited by diabetes progression. Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between femoral artery endothelial tissue damage and glycemia, AGEs, ET-1, TNF-α, and dyslipidemia. Thus, in a rat model of T2DM-induced LEAD, an association between femoral artery tissue damage and the AGEs/ET-1/inflammation/NOS/dyslipidemia axis was demonstrated, with metformin treatment demonstrating beneficial vascular protective effects.

Ginsenoside compound K inhibits obesity-induced insulin resistance by regulation of macrophage recruitment and polarization via activating PPARγ

Obesity disrupts the immune system of adipose tissue, and the activation of its macrophages constantly infiltrating adipose tissue is a crucial cause of insulin resistance induced by obesity. We previously reported for the first time in vitro that the antidiabetic effect of CK may be through the inhibition of macrophage activation and we further explored the specific mechanism in vivo. In order to clarify it, the C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high fat diet and then administered with CK orally. The related biochemical indices were detected, the inflammatory factors in serum and tissues were measured, and the related protein expression levels in insulin pathways and inflammatory signaling pathways were observed. The results showed that CK could dose-dependently reduce macrophage M1-type inflammatory factor expression in serum and adipose tissue, improve insulin resistance and glucose tolerance effectively, upregulate PPARγ expression and block TLR4/TRAF6/TAK1/NF-κB activation in obese mice. In addition, CK promoted the expression of IRS1/PI3K/AKT. Furthermore, our study showed that ginsenoside CK could improve insulin resistance by reducing inflammation through the PPARγ/NF-κB signaling pathway, which implies that ginsenoside CK may be an effective agent against obesity or early diabetes.

Bletilla striata oligosaccharides improve metabolic syndrome through modulation of gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites in high fat diet-fed mice

As traditional Chinese medicine, Bletilla striata has been widely applied to clinical treatment for its unique pharmacological profiles. This study aimed to investigate the beneficial role of Bletilla striata oligosaccharides (BO) in improving the metabolic syndrome by regulation of gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites. Treatment of HFD-fed mice with BO prevented weight gain, reversed the glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, and inhibited adipocyte hypertrophy. BO-treated mice also suppressed chronic inflammation and protected intestinal barrier from damage. These effects were linked to the reversal of gut microbiota dysbiosis, which contributed to the homeostasis of intestinal metabolites including bile acids, short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan catabolites. The depletion and reconstitution of intestinal flora from BO- or HFD-treated mice confirmed the significance of gut microbiota in regulation of HFD-induced metabolic disorders. We demonstrated for the first time that BO improved metabolic syndrome through the regulation of gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites. The modulation initiated by BO represents a promising strategy for treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases.

The concentration of tumor necrosis factor in the blood serum and in the urine and selected early organ damages in patients with primary systemic arterial hypertension

Arterial hypertension is considered to be an inflammatory condition with low intensity. Therefore, an elevated concentration of inflammatory cytokines can be expected in patients with systemic arterial hypertension, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF).The study included a group of 96 persons aged 18 to 65 years: 76 patients with primary arterial hypertension and 20 healthy individuals (control group). Blood pressure was measured in all individuals using the office and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) measurement, blood was collected for laboratory tests [tumor necrosis factor (TNF), tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1)], and 24-hour urine collection was performed in which albuminuria and TNF concentration were assessed. Moreover, assessment of the intima-media thickness (IMT) in ultrasonography and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in echocardiography were carried out.Statistically elevated TNF concentration in the blood serum (P = .0001) and in the 24-hour urine collection (P = .0087) was determined in patients with hypertension in comparison with the control group. The TNF and TNFR1 concentration in the serum and TNF in the 24-hour urine in the group of patients with arterial hypertension and organ damages and without such complications did not differ statistically significantly.We observed a positive and statistically significant correlation between TNFR1 concentration in the serum and TNF urine excretion in patients with hypertension (r = 0.369, P < .05)Patients with arterial hypertension are characterized by higher TNF concentrations in blood serum and higher TNF excretion in 24-hour urine than healthy persons.TNF and TNFR1 concentration in blood serum and TNF excretion in 24-hour urine in patients with early organ damages due to arterial hypertension do not differ significantly from those parameters in patients with arterial hypertension without organ complications.There is a positive correlation between TNFR1 concentration in the serum and TNF urine excretion in patients with hypertension.