Treatment of the metabolic syndrome by siRNA targeting apolipoprotein CIII

Apolipoprotein CIII (apoCIII) is increased in obesity-induced insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. Emerging evidences support the advantages of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to target disease-causing genes. The aim of this study was to develop siRNAs for in vivo silencing of apoCIII and investigate if this results in metabolic improvements comparable to what we have seen using antisense oligonucelotides against apoCIII. Twenty-four siRNAs were synthesized and tested in a dual luciferase reporter assay. The eight best were selected, based on knockdown at 20 nM, and of these, two were selected based on IC₅₀ values. In vivo experiments were performed in ob/ob mice, an obese animal model for diabetes. To determine the dose-dependency, efficacy, duration of effect and therapeutic dose we used a short protocol giving the apoCIII-siRNA mix for three days. To evaluate long-term metabolic effects mice were treated for three days, every second week for eight weeks. The siRNA mix effectively and selectively reduced expression of apoCIII in liver in vivo. Treatment had to be repeated every two weeks to maintain a suppression of apoCIII. The reduction of apoCIII resulted in increased LPL activity, lower triglycerides, reduced liver fat, ceased weight gain, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and improved glucose homeostasis. No off-target or side effects were observed during the eight-week treatment period. These results suggest that in vivo silencing of apoCIII with siRNA, is a promising approach with the potential to be used in the battle against obesity-induced metabolic disorders.

VLDL and apolipoprotein CIII induce ER stress and inflammation and attenuate insulin signalling via Toll-like receptor 2 in mouse skeletal muscle cells

AIM/HYPOTHESIS

Here, our aim was to examine whether VLDL and apolipoprotein (apo) CIII induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inflammation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.

METHODS

Studies were conducted in mouse C2C12 myotubes, isolated skeletal muscle and skeletal muscle from transgenic mice overexpressing apoCIII.

RESULTS

C2C12 myotubes exposed to VLDL showed increased levels of ER stress and inflammatory markers whereas peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) levels were reduced and the insulin signalling pathway was attenuated. The effects of VLDL were also observed in isolated skeletal muscle incubated with VLDL. The changes caused by VLDL were dependent on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 since they were prevented by the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 or by knockdown of this kinase by siRNA transfection. ApoCIII mimicked the effects of VLDL and its effects were also blocked by ERK1/2 inhibition, suggesting that this apolipoprotein was responsible for the effects of VLDL. Skeletal muscle from transgenic mice overexpressing apoCIII showed increased levels of some ER stress and inflammatory markers and increased phosphorylated ERK1/2 levels, whereas PGC-1α levels were reduced, confirming apoCIII effects in vivo. Finally, incubation of myotubes with a neutralising antibody against Toll-like receptor 2 abolished the effects of apoCIII on ER stress, inflammation and insulin resistance, indicating that the effects of apoCIII were mediated by this receptor.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

These results imply that elevated VLDL in diabetic states can contribute to the exacerbation of insulin resistance by activating ERK1/2 through Toll-like receptor 2.

Apolipoprotein CIII reduces proinflammatory cytokine-induced apoptosis in rat pancreatic islets via the Akt prosurvival pathway

Apolipoprotein CIII (ApoCIII) is mainly synthesized in the liver and is important for triglyceride metabolism. The plasma concentration of ApoCIII is elevated in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and in vitro ApoCIII causes apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells in the absence of inflammatory stress. Here, we investigated the effects of ApoCIII on function, signaling, and viability in intact rat pancreatic islets exposed to proinflammatory cytokines to model the intraislet inflammatory milieu in T1D. In contrast to earlier observations in mouse β-cells, exposure of rat islets to ApoCIII alone (50 μg/ml) did not cause apoptosis. In the presence of the islet-cytotoxic cytokines IL-1β + interferon-γ, ApoCIII reduced cytokine-mediated islet cell death and impairment of β-cell function. ApoCIII had no effects on mitogen-activated protein kinases (c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, and ERK) and had no impact on IL-1β-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation. However, ApoCIII augmented cytokine-mediated nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible NO synthase expression. Further, ApoCIII caused degradation of the nuclear factor κB-inhibitor inhibitor of κB and stimulated Ser473-phosphorylation of the survival serine-threonine kinase Akt. Inhibition of the Akt signaling pathway by the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase inhibitor LY294002 counteracted the antiapoptotic effect of ApoCIII on cytokine-induced apoptosis. We conclude that ApoCIII in the presence of T1D-relevant proinflammatory cytokines reduces rat pancreatic islet cell apoptosis via Akt.

Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins Prime Aortic Endothelium for an Enhanced Inflammatory Response to Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

High levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGRLs) in blood are linked to development of atherosclerosis, yet the mechanisms by which these particles initiate inflammation of endothelium are unknown. TGRL isolated from human plasma during the postprandial state was examined for its capacity to bind to cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) and alter the acute inflammatory response to tumor necrosis factor-α. HAECs were repetitively incubated with dietary levels of freshly isolated TGRL for 2 hours per day for 1 to 3 days to mimic postprandial lipidemia. TGRL induced membrane upregulation of the low-density lipoprotein family receptors LRP and LR11, which was inhibited by the low-density lipoprotein receptor-associated protein-1. TGRLs alone did not elicit inflammation in HAECs but enhanced the inflammatory response via a 10-fold increase in sensitivity to cytokine stimulation. This was reflected by increased mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, nuclear translocation of NF-κB, amplified expression of endothelial selectin and VCAM-1, and a subsequent increase in monocyte-specific recruitment under shear flow as quantified in a microfabricated vascular mimetic device.