intraperitoneal-glucose-tolerance-test-measurement-lung-function

Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test, Measurement of Lung Function, and Fixation of the Lung to Study the Impact of Obesity and Impaired Metabolism on Pulmonary Outcomes

Obesity and respiratory disorders are major health problems. Obesity is becoming an emerging epidemic with an expected number of over 1 billion obese ...

University of Cologne

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is intimately linked with postnatal catch-up growth, leading to impaired lung structure and function. However, the impact of catch-up growth induced by early postnatal hyperalimentation (HA) on the lung has not been addressed to date.

Prevention of early postnatal hyperalimentation protects against activation of transforming growth factor-β/bone morphogenetic protein and interleukin-6 signaling in rat lungs after intrauterine growth restriction.

Recent studies have revealed an important role for LTBP-4 in elastogenesis. Its mutational inactivation in humans causes autosomal recessive cutis laxa type 1C (ARCL1C), which is a severe disorder caused by defects of the elastic fiber network. Although the human gene involved in ARCL1C has been discovered based on similar elastic fiber abnormalities exhibited by mice lacking the short Ltbp-4 isoform (Ltbp4S(-/-)), the murine phenotype does not replicate ARCL1C. We therefore inactivated both Ltbp-4 isoforms in the mouse germline to model ARCL1C. Comparative analysis of Ltbp4S(-/-) and Ltbp4-null (Ltbp4(-/-)) mice identified Ltbp-4L as an important factor for elastogenesis and postnatal survival, and showed that it has distinct tissue expression patterns and specific molecular functions. We identified fibulin-4 as a previously unknown interaction partner of both Ltbp-4 isoforms and demonstrated that at least Ltbp-4L expression is essential for incorporation of fibulin-4 into the extracellular matrix (ECM). Overall, our results contribute to the current understanding of elastogenesis and provide an animal model of ARCL1C.

Modeling autosomal recessive cutis laxa type 1C in mice reveals distinct functions for Ltbp-4 isoforms.

Childhood obesity is a risk factor for asthma, but the molecular mechanisms linking both remain elusive. Since obesity leads to chronic low-grade inflammation and affects metabolic signaling we hypothesized that postnatal hyperalimentation (pHA) induced by maternal high-fat-diet during lactation leads to early-onset obesity and dysregulates pulmonary adipocytokine/insulin signaling, resulting in metabolic programming of asthma-like disease in adult mice. Offspring with pHA showed at postnatal day 21 (P21): (1) early-onset obesity, greater fat-mass, increased expression of IL-1β, IL-23, and Tnf-α, greater serum leptin and reduced glucose tolerance than Control (Ctrl); (2) less STAT3/AMPKα-activation, greater SOCS3 expression and reduced AKT/GSK3β-activation in the lung, indicative of leptin resistance and insulin signaling, respectively; (3) increased lung mRNA of IL-6, IL-13, IL-17A and Tnf-α. At P70 body weight, fat-mass, and cytokine mRNA expression were similar in the pHA and Ctrl, but serum leptin and IL-6 were greater, and insulin signaling and glucose tolerance impaired. Peribronchial elastic fiber content, bronchial smooth muscle layer, and deposition of connective tissue were not different after pHA. Despite unaltered bronchial structure mice after pHA exhibited significantly increased airway reactivity. Our study does not only demonstrate that early-onset obesity transiently activates pulmonary adipocytokine/insulin signaling and induces airway hyperreactivity in mice, but also provides new insights into metabolic programming of childhood obesity-related asthma.

Early-onset obesity dysregulates pulmonary adipocytokine/insulin signaling and induces asthma-like disease in mice.

One major risk factor for childhood overweight is maternal obesity. The underlying molecular mechanisms are ill-defined, and effective prevention strategies are missing.

Dietary intervention in obese dams protects male offspring from WAT induction of TRPV4, adiposity, and hyperinsulinemia.

Individuals with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are at risk for chronic lung disease. Using a rat model, we showed in our previous studies that altered lung structure is related to IL-6/STAT3 signaling. As neuropeptide Y (NPY), a coneurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system, regulates proliferation and immune response, we hypothesized that dysregulated NPY after IUGR is linked to IL-6, impaired myofibroblast function, and alveolar growth. IUGR was induced in rats by isocaloric low-protein diet; lungs were analyzed on embryonic day (E) 21, postnatal day (P) 3, P12, and P23. Finally, primary neonatal lung myofibroblasts (pnF) and murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) were used to assess proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and IL-6 expression. At E21, NPY and IL-6 expression was decreased, and AKT/PKC and STAT3/AMPKα signaling was reduced. Early reduction of NPY/IL-6 was associated with increased chord length in lungs after IUGR at P3, indicating reduced alveolar formation. At P23, however, IUGR rats exhibited a catch-up of body weight and alveolar growth coupled with more proliferating myofibroblasts. These structural findings after IUGR were linked to activated NPY/PKC, IL-6/AMPKα signaling. Complementary, IUGR-pnF showed increased survival, impaired migration, and reduced IL-6 compared with control-pnF (Co-pnF). In contrast, NPY induced proliferation, migration, and increased IL-6 synthesis in fibroblasts. Additionally, NPYmice showed reduced IL-6 signaling and less proliferation of lung fibroblasts. Our study presents a novel role of NPY during alveolarization: NPY regulates) IL-6 and lung STAT3/AMPKα signaling, and) proliferation and migration of myofibroblasts. These new insights in pulmonary neuroimmune interaction offer potential strategies to enable lung growth.

Novel role of NPY in neuroimmune interaction and lung growth after intrauterine growth restriction.

Deficiency of the extracellular matrix protein latent transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-binding protein-4 (LTBP4) results in lack of intact elastic fibers, which leads to disturbed pulmonary development and lack of normal alveolarization in humans and mice. Formation of alveoli and alveolar septation in pulmonary development requires the concerted interaction of extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors such as TGF-β, fibroblasts, and myofibroblasts to promote elastogenesis as well as vascular formation in the alveolar septae. To investigate the role of LTBP4 in this context, lungs of LTBP4-deficient () mice were analyzed in close detail. We elucidate the role of LTBP4 in pulmonary alveolarization and show that three different, interacting mechanisms might contribute to alveolar septation defects inlungs:) absence of an intact elastic fiber network,) reduced angiogenesis, and) upregulation of TGF-β activity resulting in profibrotic processes in the lung.

Role of LTBP4 in alveolarization, angiogenesis, and fibrosis in lungs.

Childhood obesity is associated with renal diseases. Maternal obesity is a risk factor linked to increased adipocytokines and metabolic disorders in the offspring. Therefore, we studied the impact of maternal obesity on renal-intrinsic insulin and adipocytokine signaling and on renal function and structure. To induce maternal obesity, female mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or a standard diet (SD; control group) prior to mating, during gestation, and throughout lactation. A third group of dams was fed HFD only during lactation (HFD-Lac). After weaning at postnatal day (P)21, offspring of all groups received SD. Clinically, HFD offspring were overweight and insulin resistant at P21. Although no metabolic changes were detected at P70, renal sodium excretion was reduced by 40%, and renal matrix deposition increased in the HFD group. Mechanistically, two stages were differentiated. In the early stage (P21), compared with the control group, HFD showed threefold increased white adipose tissue, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperleptinemia, and hyperinsulinemia. Renal leptin/Stat3-signaling was activated. In contrast, the Akt/ AMPKα cascade and Krüppel-like factor 15 expression were decreased. In the late stage (P70), although no metabolic differences were detected in HFD when compared with the control group, leptin/Stat3-signaling was reduced, and Akt/AMPKα was activated in the kidneys. This effect was linked to an increase of proliferative (cyclinD1/D2) and profibrotic (ctgf/collagen IIIα1) markers, similar to leptin-deficient mice. HFD-Lac mice exhibited metabolic changes at P21 similar to HFD, but no other persistent changes. This study shows a link between maternal obesity and metabolic programming of renal structure and function and intrinsic-renal Stat3/Akt/AMPKα signaling in the offspring.

Katharina Dinger

Translational Experimental Pediatrics,
Experimental Pulmonology,
Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,
Translational Experimental Pediatrics, Experimental Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

University of Cologne

Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test, Measurement of Lung Function, and Fixation of the Lung to Study the Impact of Obesity and Impaired Metabolism on Pulmonary Outcomes