The Differences in Postprandial Serum Concentrations of Peptides That Regulate Satiety/Hunger and Metabolism after Various Meal Intake, in Men with Normal vs. Excessive BMI

The energy balance regulation may differ in lean and obese people. The purposes of our study were to evaluate the hormonal response to meals with varying macronutrient content, and the differences depending on body weight. Methods. The crossover study included 46 men, 21⁻58 years old, normal-weight and overweight/obese. Every subject participated in two meal-challenge-tests with high-carbohydrate (HC), and normo-carbohydrate (NC) or high-fat (HF) meals. Fasting and postprandial blood was collected for a further 240 min, to determine adiponectin, leptin and total ghrelin concentrations. Results. In normal-weight individuals after HC-meal we observed at 60min higher adiponectin concentrations (12,554 ± 1531 vs. 8691 ± 1070 ng/mL, p = 0.01) and significantly (p < 0.05) lower total ghrelin concentrations during the first 120 min, than after HF-meal intake. Fasting and postprandial leptin levels were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in overweigh/obese men. Leptin concentrations in normal-weight men were higher (2.72 ± 0.8 vs. 1.56 ± 0.4 ng/mL, p = 0.01) 180 min after HC-meal than after NC-meal intake. Conclusions. Our results suggest that in normal-body weight men we can expect more beneficial leptin, adiponectin, and total ghrelin response after HC-meal intake, whereas, in overweight/obese men, the HC-meal intake may exacerbate the feeling of hunger, and satiety may be induced more by meals with lower carbohydrate content

Overnight Corticosterone and Gene Expression in Mouse Hippocampus: Time Course during Resting Period

The aim of the experiment was to test the effect of an elevated level of glucocorticoids on the mouse hippocampal transcriptome after 12 h of treatment with corticosterone that was administered during an active phase of the circadian cycle. Additionally, we also tested the circadian changes in gene expression and the decay time of transcriptomic response to corticosterone. Gene expression was analyzed using microarrays. Obtained results show that transcriptomic responses to glucocorticoids are heterogeneous in terms of the decay time with some genes displaying persistent changes in expression during 9 h of rest. We have also found a considerable overlap between genes regulated by corticosterone and genes implicated previously in stress response. The examples of such genes are Acer2, Agt, Apod, Aqp4, Etnppl, Fabp7, Fam107a, Fjx1, Fmo2, Galnt15, Gjc2, Heph, Hes5, Htra1, Jdp2, Kif5a, Lfng, Lrg1, Mgp, Mt1, Pglyrp1, Pla2g3, Plin4, Pllp, Ptgds, Ptn, Slc2a1, Slco1c1, Sult1a1, Thbd and Txnip. This indicates that the applied model is a useful tool for the investigation of mechanisms underlying the stress response

The relationship between the leptin/ghrelin ratio and meals with various macronutrient contents in men with different nutritional status: a randomized crossover study

Abstract Background Hormones, which influence satiety and hunger, play a significant role in body energy balance regulation. Ghrelin is a peptide that plays an important role in short-term appetite regulation, whereas leptin is a factor that controls long-term energy balance and is considered as a satiety hormone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the leptin/ghrelin ratio in a fasting state and after the intake of meals with varying macronutrient contents and to assess the possible differences between normal body weight and overweight/obese men. Methods We examined 46 healthy adult men (23 with normal body weight and 23 overweight/obese) aged 21–58, who were divided into two groups. In the crossover study, participants received isocaloric (450 kcal) meals with different macronutrient contents: men from the first group received high-carbohydrate (HC) and normo-carbohydrate (NC) meals, and in the second group, participants received high-carbohydrate and high-fat (HF) meals. The ratio of leptin/ghrelin levels was calculated from leptin and total ghrelin serum concentrations in a fasting state and 30, 60, 120, 180 and 240 min after meal intake. One-way ANOVA and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were carried out. The normality of the variable distribution was checked with the Shapiro–Wilk test, the homogeneity of variances was verified with the Levene test, and the false discovery rate p-value adjustment method was used. Results The leptin/ghrelin ratio was significantly higher in overweight/obese men than individuals with normal body weight in a fasting state, as well as postprandially. We observed trends towards a higher leptin/ghrelin ratio values from the 60 min after HC-meal intake compared to the NC- and HF-meals in normal body weight participants, while in overweight/obese men, we did not note any significant differences dependent on the meal type. Conclusions We have observed a significantly different postprandial leptin/ghrelin ratio in normal body weight and overweight/obese men, and our results suggest that in men with normal body weight, a greater feeling of satiety may occur after high-carbohydrate meal intake, which was not noted in the overweight/obese individuals

Overnight Corticosterone and Gene Expression in Mouse Hippocampus: Time Course during Resting Period

The aim of the experiment was to test the effect of an elevated level of glucocorticoids on the mouse hippocampal transcriptome after 12 h of treatment with corticosterone that was administered during an active phase of the circadian cycle. Additionally, we also tested the circadian changes in gene expression and the decay time of transcriptomic response to corticosterone. Gene expression was analyzed using microarrays. Obtained results show that transcriptomic responses to glucocorticoids are heterogeneous in terms of the decay time with some genes displaying persistent changes in expression during 9 h of rest. We have also found a considerable overlap between genes regulated by corticosterone and genes implicated previously in stress response. The examples of such genes are Acer2, Agt, Apod, Aqp4, Etnppl, Fabp7, Fam107a, Fjx1, Fmo2, Galnt15, Gjc2, Heph, Hes5, Htra1, Jdp2, Kif5a, Lfng, Lrg1, Mgp, Mt1, Pglyrp1, Pla2g3, Plin4, Pllp, Ptgds, Ptn, Slc2a1, Slco1c1, Sult1a1, Thbd and Txnip. This indicates that the applied model is a useful tool for the investigation of mechanisms underlying the stress response

Maternal Plasma Metabolomic Profiles in Spontaneous Preterm Birth: Preliminary Results

Objective. To profile maternal plasma metabolome in spontaneous preterm birth. Method. In this retrospective case-control study, we have examined plasma of patient with preterm birth (between 22 and 36 weeks of pregnancy (n=57)), with threatened preterm labor (between 23 and 36 weeks of pregnancy (n=49)), and with term delivery (n=25). Plasma samples were analysed using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) in positive and negative polarity modes. Results. We found 168 differentially expressed metabolites that were significantly distinct between study groups. We determined 51 metabolites using publicly available databases that could be subdivided into one of the five groups: amino acids, fatty acids, lipids, hormones, and bile acids. PLS-DA models, verified by SVM classification accuracy, differentiated preterm birth and term delivery groups. Conclusions. Maternal plasma metabolites are different between term and preterm parturitions. Part of them may be related with preterm labor, while others may be affected by gestational age or the beginning of labor. Metabolite profile can classify preterm or term delivery groups raising the potential of metabolome as a biomarker to identify high-risk pregnancies. Metabolomic studies are also a tool to detect individual compounds that may be further tested in targeted researches

Evaluation of Energy Expenditure and Oxidation of Energy Substrates in Adult Males after Intake of Meals with Varying Fat and Carbohydrate Content

Obesity is a result of positive energy balance. The aim of this study was to measure (in crossover trials) the energy expenditure and oxidation of glucose and lipids, both at the fasting state and after an intake of meals with a varying macronutrient content, in normal-weight and overweight/obese people. In the study, 46 healthy adult males (23 with normal body weight and 23 overweight/obese), aged 21–58, were examined. During two consecutive visits, subjects received isocaloric standardized meals (450 kcal) with different content of basic nutrients. Resting metabolic rate and carbohydrate and fat utilization were evaluated during the fasting state and postprandially, using an indirect calorimetry method. Energy expenditure was higher in people with normal body weight and slightly higher after the high-carbohydrate meal. In overweight/obese people, increased expenditure was noted after normo-carbohydrate meal intake. The high-fat meal induced lower postprandial thermal response compared to a high-carbohydrate meal, both in people with normal body weight and in overweight/obese men. Glucose utilization was higher after the high-carbohydrate meal, and it was higher in the normal body weight group than in overweight/obese people. In addition, overweight/obese people showed a lower level of fatty acid oxidation under fasting conditions which, together with limited ability to oxidize energy substrates, depending on their availability, indicates that these people are characterized by lower metabolic flexibility

Sphingolipids as a new factor in the pathomechanism of preeclampsia - Mass spectrometry analysis.

OBJECTIVE(S) AND DESIGN:The aim of the study was to analyse a panel of 11 sphingolipids in plasma and three blood fractions (platelet-poor plasma, platelets and red blood cells) of women with mild preeclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We recruited 21 women between 25-40 weeks gestation with diagnosed mild preeclampsia to the study group and 36 healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies, who corresponded with the study group according to gestational age, to the control group. To assess the concentration of 11 sphingolipids in the blood plasma and blood fractions, we used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS/MS). RESULTS:We showed a significant increase in the concentration of eight sphingolipids in the plasma of women with preeclampsia in comparison to the control group: Sph (p = 0.0032), S1P (p = 0.0289), C20-Cer (p < 0.0001), C18-Cer (p < 0.0001), C16-Cer (p = 0.012), C18:1-Cer (p = 0.003), C22-Cer (p = 0.0071), and C24:1-Cer (p = 0.0085). CONCLUSION:We showed that selected sphingolipids, especially C20-Cer and C18-Cer, are totally new factors in the pathomechanism of PE and that these bioactive lipids may play an important role in apoptosis and autophagy

Maternal plasma angiogenic and inflammatory factor profiling in foetal Down syndrome

<div><p>Objective and design</p><p>Angiogenic factors are proteins that are related to certain foetal chromosomal abnormalities. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of 60 angiogenic factors in the plasma of women with offspring possessing trisomy 21/Down syndrome (DS).</p><p>Method</p><p>After analysing karyotyping results, we selected 20 patients with foetuses possessing DS, and for the control group, we selected 28 healthy patients with uncomplicated pregnancies who delivered healthy newborns at term (i.e., 15–18 weeks of gestation). To assess the concentration of proteins in the blood plasma, we used a protein macroarray which enabled simultaneous determination of 60 angiogenic factors per sample.</p><p>Results</p><p>We observed a statistically significant increase in the concentration of these five angiogenic and inflammatory factors: TGFb1 (p = 0.039), angiostatin (p = 0.0142), I-309 (p = 0.0476), TGFb3 (p = 0.0395), and VEGF-D (p = 0.0173)—compared to concentrations in patients with healthy foetuses.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Our findings suggest that angiogenic factors may play role in DS pathogenesis.</p></div