Search results for "digestive system"
showing 10 items of 1747 documents
SGLT2 Inhibitors as the Most Promising Influencers on the Outcome of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
2022
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most frequent liver disease in the Western world, is a common hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MetS). A specific cure has not yet been identified, and its treatment is currently based on risk factor therapy. Given that the initial accumulation of triglycerides in the liver parenchyma, in the presence of inflammatory processes, mitochondrial dysfunction, lipotoxicity, glucotoxicity, and oxidative stress, can evolve into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The main goal is to identify the factors contributing to this evolution because, once established, untreated NASH can progress through fibrosis to cirrhosis and, ultimately, be co…
Expression of WISPs and of their novel alternative variants in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells
2005
WISPs (Wnt-induced secreted proteins) are members of the CCN (CTGF/Cyr61/Nov) family involved in fibrotic disorders and tumorigenesis. They have a typical structure composed of four conserved cysteine-rich modular domains, but variants of CCN members lacking one or more modules, generated by alternative splicing or gene mutations, have been described in various pathological conditions. WISP genes were first described as downstream targets of the Wnt signaling pathway, which is frequently altered in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, WISP mRNA expression was analyzed by RT-PCR in four human HCC cell lines (HepG2, HuH-6, HuH-7, HA22T/VGH). Our results show for the fir…
Loss of response of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I to okadaic acid in transformed hepatic cells
1998
The specific activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) was similar in mitochondria isolated from rat Fao and human HepG2 hepatoma cells and from rat hepatocytes, but almost twofold higher in permeabilized hepatoma cells than in permeabilized hepatocytes. Short-term exposure to okadaic acid induced a ca. 80% stimulation of CPT-I in hepatocytes, whereas no significant response of the enzyme from hepatoma cells was evident. Thus, the high CPT-I activity displayed by hepatoma cells may be reached by hepatocytes upon challenge to okadaic acid. Reconstitution experiments with purified mitochondrial and cytoskeletal fractions showed that the cytoskeleton of hepatocytes produced a more r…
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Cardiovascular Risk, and Carotid Inflammation.
2015
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined by excessive triglycerides (TGs) accumulation in the liver (>5% of hepatocytes histologically) in the absence of alcohol excess. The NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. The NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are now the number one cause of liver disease in Western countries. The prevalence of NAFLD is increasing but is underreported, and the epidemiology and demographic characteristics vary worldwide. The prevalence is increasing because of the rising occurrence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM); in fact, NAFLD is considered as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Nonalcoho…
Mammalian intestinal alkaline phosphatase acts as highly active exopolyphosphatase.
2001
Recent results revealed that inorganic polyphosphates (polyP), being energy-rich linear polymers of orthophosphate residues known from bacteria and yeast, also exist in higher eukaryotes. However, the enzymatic basis of their metabolism especially in mammalian cells is still uncertain. Here we demonstrate for the first time that alkaline phosphatase from calf intestine (CIAP) is able to cleave polyP molecules up to a chain length of about 800. The enzyme acts as an exopolyphosphatase degrading polyP in a processive manner. The pH optimum is in the alkaline range. Divalent cations are not required for catalytic activity but inhibit the degradation of polyP. The rate of hydrolysis of short-ch…
Gluten Free Diet for the Management of Non Celiac Diseases: The Two Sides of the Coin
2020
A lifelong adherence to a gluten-free (GF) diet is currently the only treatment for Celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disorder that arises after gluten ingestion in individuals who are genetically predisposed. The gluten intake exerts toxic effects through several pathways involving gut barrier integrity, intestinal microbiota composition and immune system stimulation. However, despite the great benefit of GF diet for CD patients, its use has been debated. Indeed, individuals who adopt this diet regime may be at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Emerging evidence supports a beneficial effect of a GF diet also for other pathological conditions, including gluten-related disorders (GRD) often as…
Altered morphological and electrophysiological properties of Cajal-Retzius cells in cerebral cortex of embryonic Presenilin-1 knockout mice
2004
Mutations of Presenilin-1 are the major cause of familial Alzheimer's disease. Presenilin-1 knockout (PS1-/-) mice develop severe cortical dysplasia related to human type 2 lissencephaly. This overmigration syndrome has been attributed to the premature loss of Cajal-Retzius cells (CRcs), pioneer neurons required for the termination of radial neuronal migration. To elucidate the potential cellular mechanisms responsible for this premature neuronal loss, we investigated the morphological and electrophysiological properties of visually identified CRcs of wild-type (WT) and PS1-/- mouse brains at embryonic day 16.5. The density of CRcs was substantially reduced in the cerebral cortex of PS1-/-.…
Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Toxin-Binding and Pore-Forming Activity in Brush Border Membrane Vesicles Prepared from Anterior and Posterior Midgut R…
2008
ABSTRACT It is generally accepted that Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins insert into the apical membrane of the larval midgut after binding to specific receptors, and there is evidence that the distribution of binding molecules along the midgut is not uniform. By use of the voltage-sensitive dye DiSC 3 (5) and 125 I-labeled Cry1Ac, we have measured the effect of Cry1Ac in terms of permeabilization capacity and of binding parameters on brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from the anterior and the posterior regions of the larval midgut from two insect species, Manduca sexta and Helicoverpa armigera . The permeabilizing activity was significantly higher with BBMV from the posterior …
Polyphosphate, the physiological metabolic fuel for corneal cells: a potential biomaterial for ocular surface repair
2019
The regeneration of the epithelium, covering the avascular cornea, involves the processes of differentiation, proliferation and migration of cells originating from the corneal epithelial stem cells. We ask the question if these energy-consuming processes can be fueled by the physiological, inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), the main energy storage/donor molecule in the extracellular space. The ex vivo results reveal that addition of polyP, in the form of soluble Na-polyP, to the culture medium elicits a strong stimulatory effect on cell viability/growth and migration of corneal epithelial cells. Microscopic analyses of partially denuded cornea specimens show that in the presence of polyP, but…
Utilization of metabolic energy in treatment of ocular surface disorders: polyphosphate as an energy source for corneal epithelial cell proliferation.
2019
Impaired regeneration of the corneal epithelium, as found in many ocular surface diseases, is a major clinical problem in ophthalmology. We hypothesized that corneal epithelial regeneration can be promoted by the physiological, energy-delivering as well as “morphogenetically active” polymer, inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). Corneal limbal explants (diameter, 4 mm) were cultivated on collagen-coated well plates in the absence or presence of polyP (chain length, ∼40 Pi units; 50 μg ml−1) or human platelet lysate (hp-lysate; 5% v/v). Cell outgrowth and differentiation were analyzed after staining with DRAQ5 (nuclei) and rhodamine phalloidin (cytoskeleton), as well as by environmental scanning …