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The relationship between liver interleukin-6 (IL-6) resistance following high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and glucose intolerance is unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the temporal development of hepatic IL-6 resistance and the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in this process. We hypothesized that HFD would rapidly induce hepatic IL-6 resistance through a mechanism involving ER stress. Male C57BL/6N mice consumed chow or a HFD (60%) derived from lard (saturated) or olive oil (monounsaturated) for 4 days or 7 weeks before being injected intraperitoneally with IL-6 (6 ng·kg -1 ). Glucose, insulin, and pyruvate tolerance tests were used as proxies for systemic glucose metabolism and hepatic glucose production, respectively. Primary mouse hepatocytes were incubated with palmitate (saturated) and oleate (unsaturated) overnight, then treated with 20 ng/ml IL-6. ER stress was induced via tunicamycin or prevented by sodium phenylbutyrate (PBA). Seven weeks of a saturated, but not monounsaturated, HFD reduced hepatic IL-6 signaling in conjunction with hepatic ER stress. Palmitate directly impaired IL-6 signaling in hepatocytes along with inducing ER stress. Pharmacologically induced ER stress caused hepatic IL-6 resistance, whereas PBA reversed HFD-induced IL-6 resistance. Chronic HFD-induced obesity is associated with hepatic IL-6 resistance due to saturated FA-induced ER stress., (Copyright © 2019 Townsend et al.)

Introduction: Follistatin (FST) is a protein with numerous biological roles and was recently identified as an exercise-inducible hepatokine; however, the signals that regulate this are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to delineate potential endocrine factors that may regulate hepatic FST at rest and during exercise., Methods: This study used four experiments. First, male and female C57BL/6J mice remained sedentary or were subjected to a single bout of exercise at moderate or exhaustive intensity with liver collected immediately post. Second, mice were injected with glucagon (1 mg·kg, 60 min), epinephrine (2 mg·kg, 30 min), glucagon then epinephrine, or saline. Third, mice were pretreated with propranolol (20-60 mg·kg, 30 min) before epinephrine injection. Fourth, glucagon receptor wild type (Gcgr) or knockout (Gcgr) mice were pretreated with saline or propranolol (20 mg·kg, 30 min) and were subjected to a single bout of exhaustive exercise with liver collected immediately post or after 2 h recovery. In all experiments liver FST mRNA expression was measured, and in experiment four FST protein content was measured., Results: A single bout of treadmill exercise performed at an exhaustive but not moderate-intensity increased FST expression, as did injection of glucagon or epinephrine alone and when combined. Pretreatment of mice with propranolol attenuated the epinephrine-induced increase in FST expression. The exercise-induced increase in FST expression was attenuated in Gcgr mice, with no effect of propranolol. Gcgr mice had higher protein content of FST, but there was no effect of exercise or propranolol., Conclusions: These data suggest that both glucagon and epinephrine regulate hepatic FST expression at rest; however, only glucagon is required for the exercise-induced increase.

Increases in postprandial lipids are linked to the development of cardiometabolic and fatty liver disease. Prior work has suggested that dairy possesses beneficial cardiometabolic effects and thus the aim of the current investigation was to test the hypotheses that the habitual consumption of dairy, in the form of skim milk powder (SMP), would protect against increases in circulating lipids and liver lipid accumulation following an oral fat challenge in rats. Male rats were fed either a semipurified low-fat control diet with casein or a diet with an equivalent amount of protein (∼13% kcal) provided through skim milk powder (SMP) for 6 weeks (n = 40/group). Rats were then given an oral gavage of palm oil (5 mL/kg body weight) or an equivalent volume of water, and serum and liver were harvested 90 minutes or 4 hours after. Rats fed the SMP diet gained less weight than controls but there were no differences in glucose tolerance between groups. The fat gavage increased serum lipids in both diet groups, whereas there was a main effect of the fat challenge to increase, and the SMP diet, to decrease liver triacylglycerol accumulation. The percentage of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and the protein content/activity of lipogenic enzymes were reduced in livers from SMP-fed rats, whereas the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids was increased. In summary, we provide evidence that SMP consumption, although not protecting against postprandial lipemia, markedly attenuates triacylglycerol accumulation and the relative amount of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the liver. An SMP diet reduces liver TAG accumulation and the relative percentage of saturated fatty and monounsaturated fatty acids while having no effect on indices of circulating postprandial lipemia such as TAGs, glycerol, and nonesterified fatty acids. Abbreviations: MFA, monosaturated fatty acids; NEFA, nonesterified fatty acids; PUFAs, polyunsaturated fatty acids; SFA, saturated fatty acids; SMP, skim milk powder; TAG; triacylglycerol. Biorender was used for the generation of the graphic. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olanzapine (OLZ) is a second-generation antipsychotic that is used to treat schizophrenia but also causes acute hyperglycemia. This study aimed to determine if the ablation of AMPK β1-containing complexes potentiates acute OLZ-induced metabolic dysfunction and if the activation of AMPK β1 suppresses these effects. Female AMPK β1-/- or wild-type (WT) control mice were treated with OLZ, and changes in blood glucose, serum and liver metabolites, whole-body fuel oxidation, and pyruvate-induced increases in blood glucose were measured. Additionally, WT mice were cotreated with OLZ and A769662, a specific AMPK β1 activator, and we determined if cotreatment protected against acute, OLZ-induced metabolic dysfunction. OLZ-induced increases in blood glucose were exacerbated in AMPK β1-/- mice compared with WT mice, and this was paralleled by greater OLZ-induced increases in markers of liver glucose production, such as pyruvate tolerance, serum glucagon, and glucagon responsiveness. Cotreatment with A769662 attenuated OLZ-induced increases in blood glucose, serum nonesterified fatty acid, and glycerol. Furthermore, this effect was absent in AMPK β1-/- mice, consistent with A769662's specificity for the AMPK β1 subunit. Reductions in AMPK activity potentiate the effects of acute OLZ treatment on blood glucose, whereas specifically targeting AMPK β1-containing complexes is sufficient to protect against OLZ-induced hyperglycemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antipsychotic medications are used in the management of schizophrenia and a growing number of off-label conditions. While effective at reducing psychoses, these drugs possess noted metabolic side effects including weight gain, liver lipid accumulation and disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolism. To counter the side effects of antipsychotics standard of care has typically included metformin. Unfortunately, metformin does not protect against antipsychotic induced metabolic disturbances in all patients and thus additional treatment approaches are needed. One potential candidate could be salsalate, the prodrug of salicylate, which acts synergistically with metformin to improve indices of glucose and lipid metabolism in obese mice. The purpose of the current investigation was to compare the effects of salsalate, metformin and a combination of both drugs, on weight gain and indices of metabolic health in female mice treated with the antipsychotic, olanzapine. Herein we demonstrate that salsalate was equally as effective as metformin in protecting against olanzapine induced weight gain and liver lipid accumulation with no additional benefit of combining both drugs. Conversely, metformin treatment, either alone or in combination with salsalate, improved indices of glucose metabolism and increased energy expenditure in olanzapine treated mice. Collectively, our findings provide evidence that dual therapy with both metformin and salsalate could be an efficacious approach with which to dampen the metabolic consequences of antipsychotic medications. • Antipsychotic drugs have harmful metabolic side effects including weight gain. • Metformin is used to counter metabolic side effects but is not effective in all patients. • Salsalate prevented antipsychotic weight gain and liver fat accumulation. • Salsalate and metformin increased energy expenditure and glucose tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]