TY - JOUR A1 - Schell, Mareike A1 - Chudoba, Chantal A1 - Leboucher, Antoine A1 - Alfine, Eugenia A1 - Flore, Tanina A1 - Ritter, Katrin A1 - Weiper, Katharina A1 - Wernitz, Andreas A1 - Henkel, Janin A1 - Kleinridders, André T1 - Interplay of Dietary Fatty Acids and Cholesterol Impacts Brain Mitochondria and Insulin Action JF - Nutrients N2 - Overconsumption of high-fat and cholesterol-containing diets is detrimental for metabolism and mitochondrial function, causes inflammatory responses and impairs insulin action in peripheral tissues. Dietary fatty acids can enter the brain to mediate the nutritional status, but also to influence neuronal homeostasis. Yet, it is unclear whether cholesterol-containing high-fat diets (HFDs) with different combinations of fatty acids exert metabolic stress and impact mitochondrial function in the brain. To investigate whether cholesterol in combination with different fatty acids impacts neuronal metabolism and mitochondrial function, C57BL/6J mice received different cholesterol-containing diets with either high concentrations of long-chain saturated fatty acids or soybean oil-derived poly-unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, CLU183 neurons were stimulated with combinations of palmitate, linoleic acid and cholesterol to assess their effects on metabolic stress, mitochondrial function and insulin action. The dietary interventions resulted in a molecular signature of metabolic stress in the hypothalamus with decreased expression of occludin and subunits of mitochondrial electron chain complexes, elevated protein carbonylation, as well as c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. Palmitate caused mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) resistance, while cholesterol and linoleic acid did not cause functional alterations. Finally, we defined insulin receptor as a novel negative regulator of metabolically stress-induced JNK activation. KW - cholesterol KW - insulin signaling KW - mitochondria KW - brain KW - inflammation KW - fatty acids KW - JNK KW - insulin receptor Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051518 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 12 IS - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Henkel, Janin A1 - Buchheim-Dieckow, Katja A1 - Castro, José Pedro A1 - Laeger, Thomas A1 - Wardelmann, Kristina A1 - Kleinridders, André A1 - Jöhrens, Korinna A1 - Püschel, Gerhard Paul T1 - Reduced Oxidative Stress and Enhanced FGF21 Formation in Livers of Endurance-Exercised Rats with Diet-Induced NASH JF - Nutrients N2 - Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) including the severe form with steatohepatitis (NASH) are highly prevalent ailments to which no approved pharmacological treatment exists. Dietary intervention aiming at 10% weight reduction is efficient but fails due to low compliance. Increase in physical activity is an alternative that improved NAFLD even in the absence of weight reduction. The underlying mechanisms are unclear and cannot be studied in humans. Here, a rat NAFLD model was developed that reproduces many facets of the diet-induced NAFLD in humans. The impact of endurance exercise was studied in this model. Male Wistar rats received control chow or a NASH-inducing diet rich in fat, cholesterol, and fructose. Both diet groups were subdivided into a sedentary and an endurance exercise group. Animals receiving the NASH-inducing diet gained more body weight, got glucose intolerant and developed a liver pathology with steatosis, hepatocyte hypertrophy, inflammation and fibrosis typical of NAFLD or NASH. Contrary to expectations, endurance exercise did not improve the NASH activity score and even enhanced hepatic inflammation. However, endurance exercise attenuated the hepatic cholesterol overload and the ensuing severe oxidative stress. In addition, exercise improved glucose tolerance possibly in part by induction of hepatic FGF21 production. KW - NAFLD KW - NASH KW - endurance exercise KW - FGF21 KW - glucose intolerance KW - cholesterol KW - oxidative stress Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112709 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 11 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Henkel, Janin A1 - Alfine, Eugenia A1 - Saín, Juliana A1 - Jöhrens, Korinna A1 - Weber, Daniela A1 - Castro, José Pedro A1 - König, Jeannette A1 - Stuhlmann, Christin A1 - Vahrenbrink, Madita A1 - Jonas, Wenke A1 - Kleinridders, André A1 - Püschel, Gerhard Paul T1 - Soybean Oil-Derived Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids Enhance Liver Damage in NAFLD Induced by Dietary Cholesterol JF - Nutrients N2 - While the impact of dietary cholesterol on the progression of atherosclerosis has probably been overestimated, increasing evidence suggests that dietary cholesterol might favor the transition from blunt steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), especially in combination with high fat diets. It is poorly understood how cholesterol alone or in combination with other dietary lipid components contributes to the development of lipotoxicity. The current study demonstrated that liver damage caused by dietary cholesterol in mice was strongly enhanced by a high fat diet containing soybean oil-derived ω6-poly-unsaturated fatty acids (ω6-PUFA), but not by a lard-based high fat diet containing mainly saturated fatty acids. In contrast to the lard-based diet the soybean oil-based diet augmented cholesterol accumulation in hepatocytes, presumably by impairing cholesterol-eliminating pathways. The soybean oil-based diet enhanced cholesterol-induced mitochondrial damage and amplified the ensuing oxidative stress, probably by peroxidation of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. This resulted in hepatocyte death, recruitment of inflammatory cells, and fibrosis, and caused a transition from steatosis to NASH, doubling the NASH activity score. Thus, the recommendation to reduce cholesterol intake, in particular in diets rich in ω6-PUFA, although not necessary to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, might be sensible for patients suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. KW - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) KW - NASH KW - cholesterol KW - PUFA KW - inflammation KW - oxidative stress Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10091326 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 10 IS - 9 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) CY - Basel ER -