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Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption leads to the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and greatly increases the risk of liver cancer. Induction of the cytochrome p450 2E1 (CYP2E1) enzyme by chronic and excessive alcohol intake is known to play a role in the pathogenesis of ALD. High intake of tomatoes, rich in the carotenoid lycopene, is associated with a decreased risk of chronic disease. We investigated the effects of whole tomato (tomato powder, TP), partial tomato (tomato extract, TE), and purified lycopene (LYC) against ALD development in rats. Of the three supplements, only TP reduced the severity of alcohol-induced steatosis, hepatic inflammatory foci, and CYP2E1 protein levels. TE had no effect on these outcomes and LYC greatly increased inflammatory foci in alcohol-fed rats. To further support the protective effect of TP against ALD, TP was supplemented in a carcinogen (diethylnitrosamine, DEN)-initiated alcohol-promoted mouse model. In addition to reduced steatosis and inflammatory foci, TP abolished the presence of preneoplastic foci of altered hepatocytes in DEN-injected mice fed alcohol. These reductions were associated with decreased hepatic CYP2E1 protein levels, restored levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and downstream gene expression, decreased inflammatory gene expression, and reduced endoplasmic reticulum stress markers. These data provide strong evidence for TP as an effective whole food prevention strategy against ALD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Human adipocytes express high levels of two distinct lipid droplet proteins, fat specific protein 27 (FSP27; also called CIDEC), a member of the CIDE family, and perilipin1 (PLIN1), a member of the PAT family. Both proteins play a role in fat metabolism in adipocytes, but how they interact is not known. Our present study demonstrates that FSP27 and PLIN1 co-localize and interact in cultured human primary adipocytes. We also found that the C-terminal domain of FSP27, aa 120–220, interacts with PLIN1. Individual expression of exogenous FSP27 or PLIN1 increased triglyceride content and decreased glycerol release (a measure of lipolysis), but co-expression of both proteins did not further increase triglyceride content or decrease lipolysis in human adipocytes. However, the combination of PLIN1 and FSP27 increased the average size of lipid droplets or caused the formation of unilocular adipocytes. Our data suggest that FSP27 interacts with PLIN1 to regulate lipid droplet size in human adipocytes in a concerted manner. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Post-menopausal women exhibit decreases in circulating estrogen levels and whole body insulin sensitivity, suggesting that estrogen regulates skeletal muscle glucose disposal. Thus, we assessed whether estrogen stimulates glucose uptake or enhances insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle. Ex vivo muscle stimulation with 17β-estradiol (10nM) resulted in a rapid (⩽10min) increase in the phosphorylation of Akt, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and TBC1D1/4, key signaling proteins that regulate glucose uptake in muscle. Treatment with the estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182,780, only partly inhibited signaling, suggesting both an estrogen receptor-dependent and independent mechanism of estradiol action. 17β-Estradiol did not stimulate ex vivo muscle [3H]-2-deoxyglucose uptake or enhance insulin-induced glucose uptake, demonstrating discordance between the estradiol-induced stimulation of signaling proteins and muscle glucose uptake. This study is the first to demonstrate that estradiol stimulates Akt, AMPK, and TBC1D1/4 in intact skeletal muscle, but surprisingly, estradiol does not stimulate muscle glucose uptake. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Menopause, the age-related loss of ovarian hormone production, promotes increased adiposity and associated metabolic pathology, but molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We previously reported that estrogen increases skeletal muscle PPARδ expression in vivo, and transgenic mice overexpressing muscle-specific PPARδ are reportedly protected from diet-induced obesity. We thus hypothesized that obesity observed in ovariectomized mice, a model of menopause, may result in part from abrogated expression of muscle PPARδ and/or downstream mediators such as FoxO1. To test this hypothesis, we ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-ovariectomized (SHM) 10-week old female C57Bl/6J mice, and subsequently harvested quadriceps muscles 12weeks later for gene expression studies. Compared to SHM, muscle from OVX mice displayed significantly decreased expression of PPARδ (3.4-fold), FoxO1 (4.5-fold), PDK-4 (2.3-fold), and UCP-2 (1.8-fold). Consistent with studies indicating PPARδ and FoxO1 regulate muscle fiber type, we observed dramatic OVX-specific decreases in slow isoforms of the contractile proteins myosin light chain (11.1-fold) and troponin C (11.8-fold). In addition, muscles from OVX mice expressed 57% less myogenin (drives type I fiber formation), 2-fold more MyoD (drives type II fiber formation), and 1.6-fold less musclin (produced exclusively by type II fibers) than SHM, collectively suggesting a shift towards less type I oxidative fibers. Finally, and consistent with changes in PPARδ and FoxO1 activity, we observed decreased expression of atrogin-1 (2.3-fold) and MuRF-1 (1.9-fold) in OVX mice. In conclusion, muscles from ovariectomized mice display decreased PPARδ and FoxO1 expression, abrogated expression of downstream targets involved in lipid and protein metabolism, and gene expression profiles indicating less type I oxidative fibers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]