Physiological Impacts of Energy Drink Consumption: A Clinical Analysis in Adolescents.

Energy drink (ED) consumption among Israeli-Arab adolescents is widespread. This study aimed to investigate the acute glycemic and insulin effects of EDs in healthy adolescents. Seventy-one Israeli-Arab adolescents (56% girls, average age 16.04 ± 1.03 years) participated in a non-randomized, case-controlled, open-label study. Participants consumed ED (n = 36) or a volume- and carbohydrate-matched non-caffeinated soft drink (SD, n = 35), followed by a 2 h glucose tolerance test. Blood glucose was measured at baseline and 15, 30, 60, and 120 min post-consumption (T0, T15, T30, T60 and T120, respectively). Serum insulin concentration and caffeine relative intensity were determined 45 min post-consumption (T45). Blood glucose levels peaked significantly at T15 and remained significantly higher at T30 in the ED group compared to the SD group (p = 0.005, p = 0.017, respectively). Insulin concentrations were substantially higher at T45 in the ED group (t [64] = 2.794, p = 0.001). This pattern was especially prominent in heavy ED consumers. A positive correlation emerged between the amount of caffeine consumed (mg/kg), blood glucose levels at T15 and T30, and insulin concentration at T45. This study is the first to demonstrate the glycemic and insulin responses to ED consumption in adolescents, suggesting that regulatory measures limiting ED sales to adolescents could improve their health.

Adipocytes Isolated from Visceral and Subcutaneous Depots of Donors Differing in BMI Crosstalk with Colon Cancer Cells and Modulate their Invasive Phenotype.

PURPOSE: Mechanisms related the crosstalk between adipocytes and colon cancer cells are still not clear. We hypothesize that molecules and adipocytokines generated from the adipose tissue of obese individuals accentuate the effect on the metabolic reprogramming in colon cancer cells, i.e. induce disarray in energy metabolism networks of the targeted affected colonic epithelial cells, prompting their malignant phenotype. METHODS: To explore the mechanistic behind this crosstalk we conducted a co-culture model system using human colon cancer cells having different malignant abilities and adipocytes from different depots and subjects. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that co-culturing aggressive colon cancer cells such as HM-7 cells, with Visceral or Subcutaneous adipocytes (VA or SA respectively) from lean/obese subjects significantly up-regulate the secretion of the adipokines IL-8, MCP1, and IL-6 from the adipocytes. Surprisingly, the response of co-culturing HM-7 cells with obese SA was substantially more significant. In addition, these effects were significantly more pronounced when using HM-7 cells as compared to the less malignant HCT116 colon cancer cells. Moreover, the results showed that HM-7 cells, co-cultured with VA or SA from obese subjects, expressed higher levels of fatty acid binding protein 4; thus, the conditioned media obtained from the wells contained HM-7 cells and adipocytes from obese subjects was significantly more efficient in promoting invasion of HM-7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that interaction between adipocytes and colon cancer cells, especially the highly malignant cells, results in metabolic alterations in colon cancer cells and in highly hypertrophy phenotype which characterized by increasing adipokines secretion from the adipocytes.

Pro-atherogenic and pro-oxidant crosstalk between adipocytes and macrophages.

PURPOSE: Obesity, which is characterized by triglyceride accumulation mainly in adipocytes but also in arterial wall cells such as macrophages, is a major risk factor for developing atherosclerosis. We aimed to identify the crosstalk related to lipid metabolism and oxidation status between adipocytes and macrophages. METHODS: We used a co-culture model system with J477A.1 cultured macrophages and 3T3L1 cultured adipocytes. For an in-vivo co-culture system, we used C57BL/6 mouse peritoneal macrophages and visceral or subcutaneous adipose tissue. RESULTS: Adipocytes significantly increased reactive oxygen species generation, up to twofold, and decreased cholesterol content by 22% in the co-cultured macrophages. Macrophages significantly increased triglyceride-biosynthesis rate by twofold and decreased triglyceride-degradation rate by 30%, resulting in increased triglyceride accumulation in the co-cultured adipocytes by up to 72%. In the in-vivo mouse model, visceral adipose tissue crosstalk with macrophages resulted in a significant pro-atherogenic phenotype with respect to cellular cholesterol metabolism. In contrast, the interaction between subcutaneous adipose tissue and macrophages mostly affected cellular triglyceride metabolism. There were no significant effects on mitochondrial respiration capacity in the macrophages. Upon oxidative-stress reduction in the co-cultured cells using the polyphenol-rich antioxidant, pomegranate juice, the expression of genes related to cellular lipid accumulation was significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS: We reveal, for the first time, that paracrine interactions between adipocytes and macrophages result in oxidative stress and lipids metabolic alterations in both cells, toward increased atherogenicity which can be reversed by phenolic antioxidants.

Ostreolysin induces browning of adipocytes and ameliorates hepatic steatosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with all features of the metabolic syndrome. Deposition of excess triglycerides in liver cells, a hallmark of NAFLD, is associated with loss of insulin sensitivity. Ostreolysin (Oly) is a 15-kDa fungal protein known to interact with cholesterol-enriched raft-like membrane domains. We aim to test whether a recombinant version of Oly (rOly) can induce functional changes in vitro in adipocytes or in vivo in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). METHODS: White preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells or mouse primary adipocytes treated with rOly. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a control or HFD and treated with saline or with rOly (1 mg/kg BW) every other day for 4 weeks. RESULTS: White preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells or mouse primary adipocytes treated with rOly acquire a browning phenotype through activation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and downregulation of tumor necrosis factor α-mediated activation of IκB kinase ε and TANK-binding kinase 1. HFD-fed mice treated with rOly showed a 10% reduction in BW and improved glucose tolerance, which paralleled improved expression of liver and adipose functionality, metabolism, and inflammation status, mimicking the in vitro findings. CONCLUSION: This study provides first evidence of rOly's prevention of HFD-induced NAFLD by stimulating liver and adipose muscle tissue functionality and oxidative potential, improving glucose tolerance, and ameliorating the metabolic profile of diet-induced obese mice.

Recombinant ostreolysin induces brown fat-like phenotype in HIB-1B cells.

SCOPE: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the main regulator of thermogenesis by increasing energy expenditure through the uncoupling of oxidative metabolism from ATP synthesis. There is a growing body of evidence for BAT being the key responsible organ in combating obesity and its related disorders. Herein we propose the fungal protein ostreolysin (Oly), which has been previously shown to bind to cholesterol-enriched raft-like membrane domains (lipid rafts) of mammalian cells, as a suitable candidate for interaction with brown preadipocytes. The aim of the present study was therefore to characterize the mechanism by which a recombinant version of ostreolysin (rOly) induces brown adipocyte differentiation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Primary isolated brown preadipocytes or HIB-1B brown preadipocyte cells were treated with rOly and the effects on morphology, lipid accumulation, respiration rate, and associated gene and protein expression were measured. rOly upregulated mRNA and protein levels of factors related to brown adipocyte differentiation, induced lipid droplet formation, and increased cellular respiration rate due to expression of uncoupling protein 1. rOly also upregulated ß-tubulin expression, and therefore microtubules might be involved in its mechanism of action. CONCLUSION: rOly promotes brown adipocyte differentiation, suggesting a new mechanism for rOly's contribution to the battle against obesity.

A recombinant fungal compound induces anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on colon cancer cells.

Finding intracellular pathways and molecules that can prevent the proliferation of colon cancer cells can provide significant bases for developing treatments for this disease. Ostreolysin (Oly) is a protein found in the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, and we have produced a recombinant version of this protein (rOly).We measured the viability of several colon cancer cells treated with rOly. Xenografts and syngeneic colon cancer cells were injected into in vivo mouse models, which were then treated with this recombinant protein.rOly treatment induced a significant reduction in viability of human and mouse colon cancer cells. In contrast, there was no reduction in the viability of normal epithelial cells from the small intestine. In the search for cellular targets of rOly, we showed that it enhances the anti-proliferative activity of drugs targeting cellular tubulin. This was accompanied by a reduction in the weight and volume of tumours in mice injected with rOly as compared to their respective control mice in two in vivo models.Our results advance the functional understanding of rOly as a potential anti-cancer treatment associated with pro-apoptotic activities preferentially targeting colon cancer cells.

Mechanisms linking obesity to altered metabolism in mice colon carcinogenesis.

There are an increasing number of reports on obesity being a key risk factor for the development of colon cancer. Our goal in this study was to explore the metabolic networks and molecular signaling pathways linking obesity, adipose tissue and colon cancer. Using in-vivo experiments, we found that mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and injected with MC38 colon cancer cells develop significantly larger tumors than their counterparts fed a control diet. In ex-vivo experiments, MC38 and CT26 colon cancer cells exposed to conditioned media (CM) from the adipose tissue of HFD-fed mice demonstrated significantly lower oxygen consumption rate as well as lower maximal oxygen consumption rate after carbonyl cyanide-4-trifluoromethoxy-phenylhydrazone treatment. In addition, in-vitro assays showed downregulated expression of mitochondrial genes in colon cancer cells exposed to CM prepared from the visceral fat of HFD-fed mice or to leptin. Interestingly, leptin levels detected in the media of adipose tissue explants co-cultured with MC38 cancer cells were higher than in adipose tissue explants cultures, indicating cross talk between the adipose tissue and the cancer cells. Salient findings of the present study demonstrate that this crosstalk is mediated at least partially by the JNK/STAT3-signaling pathway.

Secreted human adipose leptin decreases mitochondrial respiration in HCT116 colon cancer cells.

Obesity is a key risk factor for the development of colon cancer; however, the endocrine/paracrine/metabolic networks mediating this connection are poorly understood. Here we hypothesize that obesity results in secreted products from adipose tissue that induce malignancy-related metabolic alterations in colon cancer cells. Human HCT116 colon cancer cells, were exposed to conditioned media from cultured human adipose tissue fragments of obese vs. non-obese subjects. Oxygen consumption rate (OCR, mostly mitochondrial respiration) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR, mostly lactate production via glycolysis) were examined vis-à-vis cell viability and expression of related genes and proteins. Our results show that conditioned media from obese (vs. non-obese) subjects decreased basal (40%, p<0.05) and maximal (50%, p<0.05) OCR and gene expression of mitochondrial proteins and Bax without affecting cell viability or expression of glycolytic enzymes. Similar changes could be recapitulated by incubating cells with leptin, whereas, leptin-receptor specific antagonist inhibited the reduced OCR induced by conditioned media from obese subjects. We conclude that secreted products from the adipose tissue of obese subjects inhibit mitochondrial respiration and function in HCT116 colon cancer cells, an effect that is at least partly mediated by leptin. These results highlight a putative novel mechanism for obesity-associated risk of gastrointestinal malignancies, and suggest potential new therapeutic avenues.

Restoration of caveolin-1 expression suppresses growth, membrane-type-4 metalloproteinase expression and metastasis-associated activities in colon cancer cells.

Caveolin-1 (cav-1) and flotillin-1 are two major structural proteins associated with lipid rafts in mammalian cells. The membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs) are expressed at the cell surface, hydrolyze extracellular matrix, and play an important role in cancer cell migration and metastasis. Expression of cav-1, flotillin-1, and MT4-MMP in lysates and lipid rafts of LS174T and HM-7 colon cancer cells was determined. The impact of restoration of cav-1 expression on proliferation, adhesion, motility in vitro, and growth of implanted tumors in vivo was characterized. Cav-1 is not expressed in lipid rafts of the highly metastatic colon cancer cell line (HM-7), but expressed in cytosolic fractions of the parental lower metastatic cell line (LS174T). In contrast, MT4-MMP was expressed in lipid rafts of HM-7 cells but not in LS174T cells. Overexpression of cav-1 in HM-7 cells down-regulate proliferation, viability, wound closure, adhesion to laminin, invasion, and development of filopodial and lamellipodial structures in a dose-dependent manner. Cav-1 positive HM-7 clones ceased to express MT4-MMP in their lipid rafts. Comparative proteomic analyses of lipid rafts from cav-1 positive and cav-1 negative cells demonstrated de novo expression of flotillin-1 only on the cells expressing cav-1. Xenografting control cells devoid of cav-1 in nude mice induced development of bigger tumors expressing higher levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen as compared to mice injected with cells expressing the highest cav-1 levels. We conclude that cav-1 orchestrates and reorganize several proteins in lipid rafts, activities directly associated with reduced tumorigenic and metastatic ability of colon cancer cells.

Glucans from the edible mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius inhibit colitis-associated colon carcinogenesis in mice.

BACKGROUND: We have recently demonstrated that polysaccharides from fruiting body extract (FBE) or mycelia extract (ME) of the edible mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius exert antiproliferative effects in intestinal cells and an anti-inflammatory effect in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) mouse model of acute colitis. The aim of this study was to assess the role of fungal FBE and ME in colon carcinogenesis. METHODS: In vitro, human colorectal cancer cells were treated with FBE and ME and analyzed for inflammation response, for markers of apoptosis, and for cell-cycle progression. In vivo, FBE and ME were tested in a mouse model of colitis-associated colorectal carcinogenesis induced by cyclic treatments with DSS and azoxymethane. Treated mice were fed a daily diet containing 2 or 20 mg FBE or ME per mouse for 80 days. RESULTS: In vitro, FBE and ME induced apoptosis in a dose-responsive manner and modulated the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and cytochrome c, and blocked tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced inhibitor of nuclear factor (NF) (Iκ)-Bα degradation and NF-κB nuclear translocation. In vivo, dietary administration of FBE and ME significantly reduced the formation of aberrant crypt foci, which precedes colorectal cancer, and of microadenomas. The treatments significantly lowered the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and increased the number of cells undergoing apoptosis in the colon. Additionally, FBE and ME inhibited the expression of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α in colonic tissue. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that P. pulmonarius FBE and ME inhibit colitis-associated colon carcinogenesis induced in mice through the modulation of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of inflammation.

Orally administered glucans from the edible mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius reduce acute inflammation in dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental colitis.

Polysaccharides are one of the most potent mushroom-derived substances exhibiting anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. The aims of the present study were to determine whether orally administered glucans from the edible mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius could attenuate or prevent the development of experimental colitis in mice. Colonic inflammation was induced in mice by treatment with 3.5 % dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 18 d. Before or after DSS administration, mice were given hot water solubles (HWS) or mycelium extract (ME) (2 or 20 mg per mouse) daily in their food. Colonic damage was macroscopically and histologically evaluated. Inflammation was assessed by changes in colon length, TNF-alpha levels released by colonic samples in organ culture and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory (IL-1beta) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in colonic samples were determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. P. pulmonarius glucans attenuated and prevented the development of symptoms associated with DSS-induced colitis. High doses of HWS and ME blocked colon shortening, suppressed MPO activity and improved macroscopic score in all treatment groups. In addition, histological damage from colitis was reduced by HWS and ME at all doses. The tissue levels of TNF-alpha protein were significantly decreased and correlated with degree of inflammation and macroscopic score. All treatments significantly attenuated the increased DSS-mediated expression levels of IL-1beta. We conclude that the different glucan preparations (HWS or ME) harvested from P. pulmonarius when orally administered to DSS-treated mice attenuate the development of colonic inflammation, suggesting putative clinical utility for these extracts in the treatment of colitis.