SUMMARY Inhibiting lipogenesis prevents hepatic steatosis in rodents with insulin resistance. To determine if reducing lipogenesis functions similarly in humans, we developed MK-4074, a liver-specific inhibitor of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) and (ACC2); enzymes that produce malonyl-CoA for fatty acid synthesis. MK-4074 administered to subjects with hepatic steatosis for 1 month lowered lipogenesis, increased ketones, and reduced liver triglycerides by 36%. Unexpectedly, MK-4074 increased plasma triglycerides by 200%. To further investigate, mice that lack ACC1 and ACC2 in hepatocytes (ACC dLKO) were generated. Deletion of ACCs decreased polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations in liver due to reduced malonyl-CoA, which is required for elongation of essential fatty acids. PUFA deficiency induced SREBP-1c, which increased GPAT1 expression and VLDL secretion. PUFA supplementation or siRNA-mediated knockdown of GPAT1 normalized plasma triglycerides. Thus, inhibiting lipogenesis in humans reduced hepatic steatosis, but inhibiting ACC resulted in hypertriglyceridemia due to activation of SREBP-1c and increased VLDL secretion.

Cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) inverse agonists are emerging as a potential obesity therapy. However, the physiological mechanisms by which these agents modulate human energy balance are incompletely elucidated. Here, we describe a comprehensive clinical research study of taranabant, a structurally novel acyclic CB1R inverse agonist. Positron emission tomography imaging using the selective CB1R tracer [(18)F]MK-9470 confirmed central nervous system receptor occupancy levels ( approximately 10%-40%) associated with energy balance/weight-loss effects in animals. In a 12-week weight-loss study, taranabant induced statistically significant weight loss compared to placebo in obese subjects over the entire range of evaluated doses (0.5, 2, 4, and 6 mg once per day) (p < 0.001). Taranabant treatment was associated with dose-related increased incidence of clinical adverse events, including mild to moderate gastrointestinal and psychiatric effects. Mechanism-of-action studies suggest that engagement of the CB1R by taranabant leads to weight loss by reducing food intake and increasing energy expenditure and fat oxidation.

Adiponectin is a hormone secreted exclusively by adipocytes, and obesity is an established risk factor for endometrial cancer. We have, thus, evaluated the association of adiponectin with the occurrence of endometrial cancer. Questionnaire information and blood samples were taken before treatment from 84 women with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed endometrial cancer and 84 control women who were admitted for minor gynecologic problems, mainly pelvic prolapse. Adiponectin levels were measured by immunoassay. The results were analyzed through multiple logistic regression and controlled for known risk factors for endometrial cancer, leptin, as well as major components of the IGF system (IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGF-binding protein 3). Among control women, there was no significant association of adiponectin with age or parity. Although there was no association of adiponectin with endometrial cancer among women 65 yr or older, there was an inverse, fairly strong, and statistically significant inverse association among younger women. Among women younger than 65 yr, an increase of adiponectin by 1 SD was associated with a more than 50% reduction of the risk for endometrial cancer [odds ratio (OR) 0.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.81], even after controlling for body mass index and other potential confounders. Among all women, the adjusted OR for a 1 SD increase in adiponectin was not significant (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.56-1.10) but was significant for a one quintile increase in adiponectin (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.56-0.97). In women younger than 65 yr, among whom obesity represents a powerful risk factor for endometrial cancer, adiponectin is inversely and significantly related to the risk of this disease. This association is independent of possible effects of major components of the IGF system, leptin, body mass index, sociodemographic variables, and known endometrial cancer risk factors. Future studies are needed to prove causality and provide insight on both the mechanism of action of this hormone and its potential role in endometrial cancer.

A lipodystrophic syndrome and metabolic abnormalities have been observed in HIV-infected patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). A murine model of lipodystrophy is associated with decreased levels of adiponectin, an adipocyte-secreted protein, the administration of which improves the metabolic syndrome in these mice. To investigate the association of adiponectin with metabolic changes in human lipodystrophy, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 112 HIV-infected patients treated with HAART. Mean adiponectin levels were higher in patients with no fat redistribution (FR) vs. FR (4.8 +/- 5.0 vs. 2.2 +/- 2.7 microg/ml, P < 0.01), but no significant differences in adiponectin levels were observed between FR subgroups. The difference in adiponectin levels between subjects with and without FR remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, leptin, HIV medication use, and CD4 count using logistic regression (odds ratio, 0.54, P = 0.008). Adiponectin was significantly correlated with triglycerides (r = -0.40), abdominal visceral fat (r = -0.35), extremity fat (r = 0.37), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = -0.28), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) use (r = -0.32), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (r = 0.41) using bivariate analysis (all P < 0.01). The association with HDL weakened but remained significant on multivariate analysis (standard beta = 0.29, P = 0.01). However, the association of adiponectin with HOMA-IR became nonsignificant after adjusting for NRTI use (standard beta = -0.15, P = 0.12), suggesting that changes in adiponectin levels may underlie the effect of NRTI use on insulin resistance. The associations of adiponectin with triglycerides and HOMA-IR were also slightly weakened after adjusting for visceral and extremity fat, indicating that adiponectin may, in part, mediate the effect of FR on triglycerides and insulin resistance. This study indicates that adiponectin is inversely correlated with abdominal visceral fat mass, serum triglycerides, and insulin resistance and is directly correlated with HDL and extremity fat in a sample of HIV-infected patients treated with HAART. The results also indicate that NRTI use may worsen insulin resistance by decreasing adiponectin levels. Thus, adiponectin replacement may be a potential treatment option to ameliorate the metabolic changes observed in this patient population.