Although the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain- (NOD-) like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been recently detected in the heart, its role in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (IR) is still controversial. Here, we investigate whether a pharmacological modulation of NLRP3 inflammasome exerted protective effects in an ex vivo model of IR injury. Isolated hearts from male Wistar rats (5-6 months old) underwent ischemia (30 min) followed by reperfusion (20 or 60 min) with and without pretreatment with the recently synthetized NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor INF4E (50 μM, 20 min before ischemia). INF4E exerted protection against myocardial IR, shown by a significant reduction in infarct size and lactate dehydrogenase release and improvement in postischemic left ventricular pressure. The formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome complex was induced by myocardial IR and attenuated by INF4E in a time-dependent way. Interestingly, the hearts of the INF4E-pretreated animals displayed a marked improvement of the protective RISK pathway and this effect was associated increase in expression of markers of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Our results demonstrate for the first time that INF4E protected against the IR-induced myocardial injury and dysfunction, by a mechanism that involves inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome, resulting in the activation of the prosurvival RISK pathway and improvement in mitochondrial function.

Aim of this study was to investigate whether advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate in skeletal myofibers of two different animal models of diabesity and whether this accumulation could be associated to myosteatosis. Male C57Bl/6j mice and leptin-deficient ob/ob mice were divided into three groups and underwent 15 weeks of dietary manipulation: standard diet-fed C57 group (C57, n = 10), high-fat high-sugar diet-fed C57 group (HFHS, n = 10), and standard diet-fed ob/ob group (OB/OB, n = 8). HFHS mice and OB/OB mice developed glycometabolic abnormalities in association with decreased mass of the gastrocnemius muscle, fast-to-slow transition of muscle fibers, and lipid accumulation (that occurred preferentially in slow compared to fast fibers). Moreover, we found in muscle fibers of HFHS and OB/OB mice accumulation of AGEs that was preferential for the lipid-accumulating cells, increased expression of the lipogenic pathway SCAP/SREBP, and co-localisation between AGEs and SCAP-(hyper)expressing cells (suggestive for SCAP glycosylation). The increased expression of the SCAP/SREBP lipogenic pathway in muscle fibers is a possible mechanism underlying lipid accumulation and linking myosteatosis to muscle fiber atrophy and fast-to-slow transition that occur in response to diabesity.

Epidemiological studies pointed out to a strong association between vitamin D deficiency and type 2 diabetes prevalence. However, the role of vitamin D supplementation in the skeletal muscle, a tissue that play a crucial role in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis, has been scarcely investigated so far. On this basis, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation in a murine model of diet-induced insulin resistance with particular attention to the effects evoked on the skeletal muscle. Male C57BL/6J mice (n = 40) were fed with a control or a High Fat-High Sugar (HFHS) diet for 4 months. Subsets of animals were treated for 2 months with vitamin D (7 μg·kg-1, i.p. three times/week). HFHS diet induced body weight increase, hyperglycemia and impaired glucose tolerance. HFHS animals showed an impaired insulin signaling and a marked fat accumulation in the skeletal muscle. Vitamin D reduced body weight and improved systemic glucose tolerance. In addition, vitamin D restored the impaired muscle insulin signaling and reverted myosteatosis evoked by the diet. These effects were associated to decreased activation of NF-κB and lower levels of TNF-alpha. Consistently, a significantly decreased activation of the SCAP/SREBP lipogenic pathway and lower levels of CML protein adducts and RAGE expression were observed in skeletal muscle of animals treated with vitamin D.Collectively, these data indicate that vitamin D-induced selective inhibition of signaling pathways (including NF-κB, SCAP/SREBP and CML/RAGE cascades) within the skeletal muscle significantly contributed to the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation against diet-induced metabolic derangements.

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Although the molecular links underlying the causative relationship between chronic low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance are not completely understood, compelling evidence suggests a pivotal role of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Here we tested the hypothesis that either a selective pharmacological inhibition or a genetic downregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome results in reduction of the diet-induced metabolic alterations. Male C57/BL6 wild-type mice and NLRP3 -/-littermates were fed control diet or high-fat, high-fructose diet (HD). A subgroup of HD-fed wild-type mice was treated with the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor BAY 11-7082 (3 mg/kg intraperitoneally [IP]). HD feeding increased plasma and hepatic lipids and impaired glucose homeostasis and renal function. Renal and hepatic injury was associated with robust increases in profibrogenic markers, while only minimal fibrosis was recorded. None of these metabolic abnormalities were detected in HD-fed NLRP3 -/-mice, and they were dramatically reduced in HD-mice treated with the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor. BAY 11-7082 also attenuated the diet-induced increase in NLRP3 inflammasome expression, resulting in inhibition of caspase-1 activation and interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 production (in liver and kidney). Interestingly, BAY 11-7082, but not gene silencing, inhibited nuclear factor (NF)-κB nuclear translocation. Overall, these results demonstrate that the selective pharmacological modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuates the metabolic abnormalities and the related organ injury/dysfunction caused by chronic exposure to HD, with effects similar to those obtained by NLRP3 gene silencing.