Residual Currents Produced by Plural Submerged Assymetrical Structures in Wave-Current Coexisting Fields

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Residual Currents around Asymmetrical Pipes in Oscillatory Flow Fields

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Development of Calorie Restriction Mimetics as Therapeutics for Obesity, Diabetes, Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Calorie restriction (CR) is the most robust intervention that decreases morbidity and mortality, and thereby increases the lifespan of many organisms. Although the signaling pathways involved in the beneficial effects of CR are not yet fully understood. Several candidate pathways and key molecules have been identified. The effects of CR are highly conserved from lower organisms such as yeast to higher mammals such as rodents and monkeys. Recent studies have also demonstrated beneficial effects of CR in humans, although we need much longer studies to evaluate whether CR also increases the lifespan of humans. In reality, it is difficult for us to conduct CR interventions in humans because the subjects must be kept in a state of hunger and the duration of this state needed to achieve a clinically meaningful effect is still unknown. Thus, research in this field is focusing on the development of molecules that mimic the beneficial effects of CR without reducing food intake. Some of these candidate molecules include plant-derived functional chemicals (phyto-chemicals), synthetic small molecules, and endocrine molecules such as adipokines. Several studies have already shown that this research field may yield novel drugs for the treatment of age-related diseases such as diabetes. In this article, we describe the target pathways, candidate molecules, and strategies to develop CR mimetics

The Role of Neuropeptide Y in Adipocyte-Macrophage Crosstalk during High Fat Diet-Induced Adipose Inflammation and Liver Steatosis

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is initiated by adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk. Among the possible molecules regulating this crosstalk, we focused on neuropeptide Y (NPY), which is known to be involved in hypothalamic appetite and adipose tissue inflammation and metabolism. In this study, the NPY−/− mice showed a marked decrease in body weight and adiposity, and lower free fatty acid and adipose inflammation without food intake alteration during a high fat diet (HFD). Moreover, NPY deficiency increased the thermogenic genes expression in brown adipose tissue. Notably, NPY-mRNA expression was upregulated in macrophages from the HFD mice compared to that from the mice on a standard diet. The NPY-mRNA expression also positively correlated with the liver mass/body weight ratio. NPY deletion alleviated HFD-induced adipose inflammation and liver steatosis. Hence, our findings point toward a novel intracellular mechanism of NPY in the regulation of adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk and highlight NPY antagonism as a promising target for therapeutic approaches against obesity and NAFLD

Calorie restriction minimizes activation of insulin signaling in response to glucose: Potential involvement of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor 1 axis

Calorie restriction (CR) may modulate insulin signaling in response to energy intake through suppression of the growth hormone (GH)-IGF-1 axis. We investigated the glucose-stimulated serum insulin response and subsequent alterations in insulin receptor (IR), Akt, and FoxO1 in the rat liver and quadriceps femoris muscle (QFM). Nine-month-old wild-type (W) male Wistar rats fed ad libitum (AL) or a 30% CR diet initiated at 6 weeks of age and GH-suppressed transgenic (Tg) rats fed AL were killed 15 min after intraperitoneal injection of glucose or saline. In W-AL rats, the serum insulin concentration was elevated by glucose injection. Concomitantly, the phosphorylated (p)-IR and p-Akt levels were increased in both tissues. The active FoxO1 level was decreased in the liver, but not significantly in the QFM. In W-CR and Tg-AL rats, the serum insulin response was lower, and no significant changes were noted for the p-IR, p-Akt, or active FoxO1 levels in the liver. In the QFM, the p-Akt level was increased in W-CR and Tg-AL rats with an insignificant elevation of p-IR levels. The phenotypic similarity of W-CR and Tg-AL rats suggest that CR minimizes activation of insulin signaling in response to energy intake mostly through the GH-IGF-1 axis

Development of a bioassay to screen for chemicals mimicking the anti-aging effects of calorie restriction

Suppression of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-I pathway in Ames dwarf (DF) mice, and caloric restriction (CR) in normal mice extends lifespan and delays the onset of age-related disorders. In combination, these interventions have an additive effect on lifespan in Ames DF mice. Therefore, common signaling pathways regulated by DF and CR could have additive effects on longevity. In this study, we tried to identity the signaling mechanism and develop a system to assess pro-longevity status in cells and mice. We previously identified genes up-regulated in the liver of DF and CR mice by DNA microarray analysis. Motif analysis of the upstream sequences of those genes revealed four major consensus sequence motifs, which have been named dwarfism and calorie restriction-responsive elements (DFCR-REs). One of the synthesized sequences bound to hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α), an important transcription factor involved in liver metabolism. Furthermore, using this sequence information, we developed a highly sensitive bioassay to identify chemicals mimicking the anti-aging effects of CR. When the reporter construct, containing an element upstream of a secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) gene, was co-transfected with HNF-4α and its regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), SEAP activity was increased compared with untransfected controls. Moreover, transient transgenic mice established using this construct showed increased SEAP activity in CR mice compared with ad libitum-fed mice. These data suggest that because of its rapidity, ease of use, and specificity, our bioassay will be more useful than the systems currently employed to screen for CR mimetics, which mimic the beneficial effects of CR. Our system will be particularly useful for high-throughput screening of natural and synthetic candidate molecules

Down-regulation of hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase and up-regulation of CREB coactivator CRTC2 for gluconeogenesis under calorie-restricted conditions at a young age

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key molecule that controls energy homeostasis at cellular and whole body levels. Calorie restriction (CR) may exhibit the anti-aging effect through modulation of AMPK activity. We investigated the hepatic AMPK pathways for gluconeogenesis (the transducer of regulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CREB) 2; CRTC2) and cell growth (mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR). Male F344 rats at 2.5 months (mo) and 18 mo of age were subjected to 4-mo-long 30% CR; control rats were fed ad libitum (AL) throughout the experiment. Rats were killed 15 min after saline or glucose injection to evaluate activation of signal molecules under transient hyperglycemic and subsequent hyperinsulinemic conditions. Western blot analyses demonstrated a modest reduction of threonine-172-phosphorylated (p)-AMPKα levels and an increment of nuclear CRTC2 in the young CR group as compared with the agematched AL group. We also confirmed the increased binding of CRTC2 and CREB and up-regulation of gluconeogenic genes (PGC-1α and PEPCK) in the CR group. However, there was no CR-specific alteration in total or phosphorylated mTOR levels. The results suggest down-regulation of hepatic AMPK activity by CR for metabolic adaptation that promotes gluconeogenesis. The effect of CR on mTOR remains elusive

Overexpression of the adiponectin gene mimics the metabolic and stress resistance effects of calorie restriction, but not the anti-tumor effect

Adiponectin (Adipoq), a peptide hormone secreted from the white adipose tissue, may play a role in the anti-aging and/or anti-tumor effects of calorie restriction (CR). We analyzed metabolic traits in Adipoq gene-overexpressing mice fed ad libitum with a regular diet (RD) or a high-fat diet (HFD), or fed 30% CR of RD initiated at 12. weeks of age. Adipoq-RD and -HFD mice at 6. months of age showed reduced blood glucose and insulin concentrations, and thus increased insulin sensitivity, compared with WT mice fed a RD or a HFD. In the epididymal white adipose tissue in Adipoq mice, senescence-like changes such as upregulation of p53 protein and of biomarkers of inflammation, Cd68 and Ccl2 mRNA, were ameliorated compared with WT-RD and WT-HFD mouse tissues. Resistance to stress induced by lipopolysaccharide was also strengthened in Adipoq mice compared with WT mice. These metabolic changes and stress resistance were also noted in the WT-CR mice, suggesting that Adipoq plays a part in the effect of CR. In contrast, in an allograft tumor growth model, tumor growth was not inhibited in Adipoq mice. The present findings suggest that Adipoq plays a part in the anti-aging, but not in the anti-tumor, effects of CR

A key role for neuropeptide Y in lifespan extension and cancer suppression via dietary restriction

Knowledge of genes essential for the life-extending effect of dietary restriction (DR) in mammals is incomplete. In this study, we found that neuropeptide Y (Npy), which mediates physiological adaptations to energy deficits, is an essential link between DR and longevity in mice. The lifespan-prolonging effect of lifelong 30% DR was attenuated in Npy-null mice, as was the effect on the occurrence of spontaneous tumors and oxidative stress responses in comparison to wild-type mice. In contrast, the physiological processes activated during adaptation to DR, including inhibition of anabolic signaling molecules (insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1), modulation of adipokine and corticosterone levels, and preferential fatty acid oxidation, were unaffected by the absence of Npy. These results suggest a key role for Npy in mediating the effects of DR. We also provide evidence that most of the physiological adaptations to DR could be achieved in mice without Npy