APTI of Some Selected Plants in Shivamogga City, South Asia

Air pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulate matter or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organism or damage the environment. The study examined air pollution indices (APTI) of fourteen plant species around Shivamogga city of Karnataka State India . Four physiological and biochemical parameters, leaf relative water content (RWC) , ascorbic acid (AA), total leaf chlorophyll (TCH), and leaf extract PH were used to compute the APTI values. The result showed that combining variety of these parameters gave more reliable result than those of individual parameter. The order of tolerance is as follows: Azadirachta indica, (37.74), Mangifera indica (28.4), Eucalyptus mysoresins (27.93), Carica papaya (24.62), Ricinus communis (22.46), Polvalthia longifolia (20.76), Calotropis gigantean (19.84), Nerium indicum (18.49), Psidium guajava (17.51), Parthenium hysterophorus (14.91), Bougainvillea glabra (13.35), Muntingia calabura (11.68), Terminalia cattapa (10.71) and Tamarindus indica (9.12)

\u3cem\u3eSphk2\u3csup\u3e−/−\u3c/sup\u3e\u3c/em\u3e Mice are Protected from Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Sphingosine kinases phosphorylate sphingosine to sphingosine 1‑phosphate (S1P), which functions as a signaling molecule. We have previously shown that sphingosine kinase 2 (Sphk2) is important for insulin secretion. To obtain a better understanding of the role of Sphk2 in glucose and lipid metabolism, we have characterized 20- and 52-week old Sphk2−/− mice using glucose and insulin tolerance tests and by analyzing metabolic gene expression in adipose tissue. A detailed metabolic characterization of these mice revealed that aging Sphk2−/− mice are protected from metabolic decline and obesity compared to WT mice. Specifically, we found that 52-week old male Sphk2−/− mice had decreased weight and fat mass, and increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared to control mice. Indirect calorimetry studies demonstrated an increased energy expenditure and food intake in 52-week old male Sphk2−/− versus control mice. Furthermore, expression of adiponectin gene in adipose tissue was increased and the plasma levels of adiponectin elevated in aged Sphk2−/− mice compared to WT. Analysis of lipid metabolic gene expression in adipose tissue showed increased expression of the Atgl gene, which was associated with increased Atgl protein levels. Atgl encodes for the adipocyte triglyceride lipase, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of lipolysis. In summary, these data suggest that mice lacking the Sphk2 gene are protected from obesity and insulin resistance during aging. The beneficial metabolic effects observed in aged Sphk2−/− mice may be in part due to enhanced lipolysis by Atgl and increased levels of adiponectin, which has lipid- and glucose-lowering effects

Genetic modifications within the gluconeogenic organs following ileal interposition in non-diabetic rats: A role of GLUT2

Obesity and Diabetes, the major cause for morbidity and mortality in United States raises a general curiosity regarding health care expenses when talked about treating them. Every year approximately 300,000 US adults die of reasons associated to obesity and diabetes, becoming the sixth leading cause of death. The prevalence of those diagnosed with diabetes witnessed an exponential curve in the last decade and for the year 2011 about 8.3% of the population in the US has been diagnosed with diabetes and it is predicted that in the year 2030 the prevalence of diabetes is to reach 4.4% globally. Type 2 diabetes is a condition, which develops when the body no longer makes enough insulin or when the insulin so produced does not work effectively. In reaction to the increase in obesity, treatments for obesity became more common especially the pharmacological treatments. Since this treatment also required one to change their lifestyle and food habits, bariatric surgeries were considered as an option to treat obesity and diabetes. A range of surgical procedures have been used to stimulate weight loss for obese patients. These procedures resulted in weight loss by restricting the size of the stomach (Gastric Banding) or bypassing a portion of the intestine (Gastric Bypass). Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) accomplishes weight loss during a combination of gastric restriction and malabsorption. Reduction of the stomach to a small gastric pouch results in feelings of satiety. The RYGB procedure has been performed regularly since the early 1980s; it was first performed laparoscopically in the early 1990s. Ileal interposition (IT) is a surgical procedure where a section of ileum is snipped and moved closer to the jejunum. It is said that the food takes just ten minutes to reach the ileum instead of an hour after this procedure. The ileum produces Glucagon like Peptide-1 ( GLP-1) which helps in insulin secretion. Glucose is a key stimulator for mammals and is derived from the diet consumed, transferred from the circulation into the target cells. Glucose penetrates the eukaryotic cells through membrane associated carrier proteins, the Na+ coupled glucose transporter (SGLT-1) and the glucose transporter (GLUT). These transporters are structurally and functionally distinct. The main research question was "are the receptors involved in glucose transport across the membrane (GLUT2 and SGLT1) important for Ileal Interposition"? With experiments like real time PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), we have observed the differences in the expression of these receptors with respect to the location and organ. Ileal interposition showed a significant difference (p<0.01) compared to sham-operated rats in the expression of GLUT2 in the gluconeogenic organs. The increased GLUT2 levels in ileal interposition may explain glucose sensitivity and these data emphasize the need for GLUT2 to maintain a positive glucose homeostasis and further study on SGLT1/GLUT2 influence on gluconeogenesis

Adaptation of Intestinal and Bile Acid Physiology Accompany the Metabolic Benefits Following Ileal Interposition in the Rat

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. Purpose: Ileal interposition recapitulates many of the metabolic improvements similar to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. We aimed to determine whether the metabolic improvements seen following ileal interposition were conferred solely by the interposed segment by examining changes in neighboring intestinal segments as well as the composition of the bile acid pool. Materials and Methods: Adult male rats were treated with either sham or ileal interposition surgeries. Glucose tolerance tests, body composition analysis, polymer chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and mass spectrometry were done after the surgeries. Results: This study showed that ileal interposition improved glucose tolerance and enhanced both fasting and glucose-stimulated GLP-1 secretion in diabetic rats. Total bile acid pool was similar between groups but the composition favored glycine-conjugation in rats with ileal interposition. Insulin secretion was highly correlated with the 12-alpha-hydroxylase index of activity. The interposed ileum exhibited an increase in mRNA for preproglucagon and peptide YY; however, the bile acid transporter, apical sodium bile acid transporter, was dramatically reduced compared to sham rats. The interposed segment becomes jejunized in its new location as indicated by an increase in Glut2 and Pepck mRNA, genes predominantly synthesized within the jejunum. Conclusion: Ileal relocation alone can significantly alter the bile acid pool to favor a more insulin-sensitive metabolism in association with intestinal wide alterations in mRNA for a variety of genes. Ileal interposition may confer metabolic improvement via both the interposed segment and the associated intestinal changes in all segments of the intestine, including the colon