Differential Effects of Two Isoenergetic Meals Rich in Saturated or Monounsaturated Fat on Endothelial Function in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE—To examine the acute effects of consumption of monounsaturated (MUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SAFAs) on endothelial function in subjects with type 2 diabetes

A biomechanical study of the role of sitagliptin on the bone characteristics of diabetic rats

An experimental protocol is described aiming to explore the in­fluence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the biomechanical response of the bone tissue and, also, to quantify the potential beneficial role of a pharma­ceutical treatment, based on sitagliptin, a diabetes drug that increases the levels of natural substances called incretins. Twenty eight male, 10-week old Wistar rats were used, divided into three groups, i.e., the control one, the group including the diabetic rats and, finally, the group including the diabetic rats which were treated using sitagliptin. The biomechanical study was based on a series of three-point bending tests of the femora of the sacrificed rats and the analysis of the experimental data was implemented in terms of the actual geometry of the fractured cross-section. It was concluded that diabetic bones undertake larger forces despite the fact that the “diameter” of their cross-section was some­­how smaller. On the contrary, the slope of the load-deflection curve (cor­responding to a measure of the stiffness) of diabetic bones is slightly lower compared to the control bones. Finally, it seems that treating diabetic animals with sita­gliptin only partly reverses the effect of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on their bone tissue, at least concerning its strength and stiffness

Metabolic syndrome is not associated with reduction in aortic distensibility in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aortic distensibility (AD) is a marker of the elastic properties of the aorta. Reduction of AD occurs early in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and it is associated with subclinical generalized atherosclerosis. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is common in subjects with T2DM and predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study examined the potential relationship between MetS and AD in a cohort of subjects with T2DM.</p> <p>Methods and results</p> <p>A total of 210 subjects with T2DM were studied. MetS was diagnosed using the NCEP/ATP-III criteria. AD was assessed non-invasively by ultrasonography. The prevalence of MetS was 64.8%. AD was not significantly different between subjects with and without MetS (1.80 ± 0.54 vs. 1.84 ± 0.53 10^-6dyn^-1cm², p = 0.55). Univariate linear regression analysis showed that AD was associated positively with male sex (p = 0.02) as well as glomerular filtration rate (p < 0.001), and negatively with age (p = 0.04), history of hypertension (p = 0.001), as well as duration of diabetes (p < 0.001). After multivariate adjustment, AD was associated independently and significantly only with age (p = 0.02), duration of diabetes p < 0.001), and history of hypertension (p = 0.004); no significant relationship was found with MetS status, the sum of the components of the MetS or the individual components-besides hypertension-of the MetS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In subjects with T2DM, MetS status <it>per se </it>is not associated with reduction of AD. In addition, it was shown that besides ageing, duration of glycemia was a strong predictor of AD. From the components of the MetS only hypertension was associated with reduction of the elastic properties of the aorta.</p

Comparative antilipidemic effect of N-acetylcysteine and sesame oil administration in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is an increasing number of novel antilipidemic therapies under consideration. The putative hypolipidemic effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and sesame oil was studied in a mouse model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male C57bl/6 mice were assigned to the following groups: (NC) control group, (HC) group receiving test diet supplemented with 2% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for 8 weeks, (HCN) group receiving the test diet with NAC supplementation (230 mg/kg p.o.) and (HCS) group fed the test diet enriched with 10% sesame oil. Total serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were assayed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Total peroxides and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured in the serum at the end of the experiment. Hepatic and aortic lesions were evaluated by haematoxylin-eosin staining.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Higher serum levels of total and LDL-cholesterol were recorded in all groups fed the high cholesterol diet. The HCN group presented reduced lipid levels compared to HC and HCS groups. No differences were observed between HCS and HC groups. Peroxide content in serum was markedly increased in mice consuming high cholesterol diet. NAC and sesame oil administration led to a significant decrease of serum lipid peroxidation in the levels of control group, whereas only NAC restored NO bioavailability. In terms of liver histology, the lesions observed in HCN group were less severe than those seen in the other high cholesterol groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Co-administration of NAC, but not sesame oil, restored the disturbed lipid profile and improved hepatic steatosis in the studied diet-induced hypercholesterolemic mice. Both agents appear to ameliorate serum antioxidant defense.</p

Application of adipose-derived stromal cells in fat grafting: Basic science and literature review

Autologous fat is considered the ideal material for soft‑tissue augmentation in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The primary drawback of autologous fat grafting is the high resorption rate. The isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue inevitably led to research focusing on the study of combined transplantation of autologous fat and adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) and introduced the theory of ʻcell‑assisted lipotransferʼ. Transplantation of ADSCs is a promising strategy, due to the high proliferative capacity of stem cells, their potential to induce paracrine signalling and ability to differentiate into adipocytes and vascular cells. The current study examined the literature for clinical and experimental studies on cell‑assisted lipotransfer to assess the efficacy of this novel technique when compared with traditional fat grafting. A total of 30 studies were included in the present review. The current study demonstrates that cell‑assisted lipotransfer has improved efficacy compared with conventional fat grafting. Despite relatively positive outcomes, further investigation is required to establish a consensus in cell‑assisted lipotransfer

Canagliflozin attenuates the progression of atherosclerosis and inflammation process in APOE knockout mice

Background: Sodium glucose co-transporter2 inhibitors reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on the results of recent cardiovascular outcome studies. Herein, we investigated the efects of long-term treatment with canaglifozin on biochemical and immunohistochemical markers related to atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis development in the aorta of apolipoprotein E knockout (Apo-E(−/−) ) mice. Methods: At the age of 5 weeks, mice were switched from normal to a high-fat diet. After 5 weeks, Apo-E(−/−) mice were divided into control-group (6 mice) treated with 0.5% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and Cana-group (7 mice) treated with canaglifozin (10 mg/kg per day) per os. After 5 weeks of intervention, animals were sacrifced, and heart and aorta were removed. Sections stained with hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) were used for histomorphometry whereas Masson’s stained tissues were used to quantify the collagen content. Immunohistochemistry to assess MCP-1, CD68, a-smooth muscle actin, MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 expression was carried out and q-PCR experiments were performed to quantify mRNA expression. Results: Canaglifozin-group mice had lower total-cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels (P<0.01), while heart rate was signifcantly lower (P<0.05). Histomorphometry revealed that one in seven Cana-group mice versus four in six control mice developed atheromatosis, while aortic root plaque was signifcantly less, and collagen was 1.6 times more intense in canaglifozin-group suggesting increased plaque stability. Immunohistochemistry revealed that MCP-1 was signifcantly less expressed (P<0.05) in the aortic root of canaglifozin-group while reduced expression of a-actin and CD68 was not reaching signifcance (P=0.15). VCAM-1 and MCP-1 mRNA levels were lower (P=0.02 and P=0.07, respectively), while TIMP-1/MMP-2 ratio expression was higher in canaglifozin-group approaching statistical signifcance (P=0.07). Conclusions: Canaglifozin attenuates the progression of atherosclerosis, reducing (1) hyperlipidemia and hyper‑ glycemia, and (2) infammatory process, by lowering the expression of infammatory molecules such as MCP-1 and VCAM-1. Moreover, canaglifozin was found to increase the atherosclerotic plaque stability via increasing TIMP-1/ MMP-2 ratio expression