Metformin is widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but its mechanism of action is poorly defined. Recent evidence implicates the gut microbiota as a site of metformin action. In a double-blind study, we randomized individuals with treatment-naive T2D to placebo or metformin for 4 months and showed that metformin had strong effects on the gut microbiome. These results were verified in a subset of the placebo group that switched to metformin 6 months after the start of the trial. Transfer of fecal samples (obtained before and 4 months after treatment) from metformin-treated donors to germ-free mice showed that glucose tolerance was improved in mice that received metformin-altered microbiota. By directly investigating metformin-microbiota interactions in a gut simulator, we showed that metformin affected pathways with common biological functions in species from two different phyla, and many of the metformin-regulated genes in these species encoded metalloproteins or metal transporters. Our findings provide support for the notion that altered gut microbiota mediates some of metformin's antidiabetic effects.

Insulin resistance is increasingly recognized as a chronic, low-level, inflammatory state. Hyperinsulinemia and insulin action were initially proposed as the common preceding factors of hypertension, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, abdominal obesity, and altered glucose tolerance, linking all these abnormalities to the development of coronary heart disease. The similarities of insulin resistance with another inflammatory state, atherosclerosis, have been described only in the last few decades. Atherosclerosis and insulin resistance share similar pathophysiological mechanisms, mainly due to the actions of the two major proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and IL-6. Genetic predisposition to increased transcription rates of these cytokines is associated with metabolic derangement and simultaneously with coronary heart disease. Dysregulation of the inflammatory axis predicts the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The knowledge of how interactions between metabolic and inflammatory pathways occur will be useful in future therapeutic strategies. The effective administration of antiinflammatory agents in the treatment of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis is only the beginning of a promising approach in the management of these syndromes.

Emerging scientific evidence has disclosed unsuspected influences between iron metabolism and type 2 diabetes. The relationship is bi-directional-iron affects glucose metabolism, and glucose metabolism impinges on several iron metabolic pathways. Oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines influence these relationships, amplifying and potentiating the initiated events. The clinical impact of these interactions depends on both the genetic predisposition and the time frame in which this network of closely related signals acts. In recent years, increased iron stores have been found to predict the development of type 2 diabetes while iron depletion was protective. Iron-induced damage might also modulate the development of chronic diabetes complications. Iron depletion has been demonstrated to be beneficial in coronary artery responses, endothelial dysfunction, insulin secretion, insulin action, and metabolic control in type 2 diabetes. Here, we show that iron modulates insulin action in healthy individuals and in patients with type 2 diabetes. The extent of this influence should be tested in large-scale clinical trials, searching for the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of therapeutic measures that decrease iron toxicity. The study of individual susceptibility and of the mechanisms that influence tissue iron deposition and damage are proposed to be valuable in anticipating and treating diabetes complications. Diabetes 51:2348 -2354, 2002

OBJECTIVETo compare the effect of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal (HFHC) with that of a high-fiber and fruit meal on the concentrations of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]), LPS-binding protein (LBP), the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs), and the suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3) in mononuclear cells.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSHealthy lean subjects were given 910 calories of either an HFHC meal (n = 10) or an American Heart Association (AHA)-recommended meal rich in fiber and fruit (n = 10) after an overnight fast. Blood was collected before and at 1, 2, and 3 h after the meal. Cellular indexes of oxidative and inflammatory stress; the expression of SOCS-3, TLR2, and TLR4 in mononuclear cells; and plasma concentrations of LPS and LBP were measured.RESULTSHFHC meal intake induced an increase in plasma LPS concentration and the expression of SOCS-3, TLR2, and TLR4 protein, reactive oxygen species generation, and nuclear factor-κB binding activity (P < 0.05 for all). These increases were totally absent after the AHA meal rich in fiber and fruit.CONCLUSIONSThe novel changes described after the HFHC meal elucidate further the mechanisms underlying postprandial inflammation and also provide the first evidence explaining the pathogenesis of insulin and leptin resistance mediated by SOCS-3 after such meals. In contrast, an AHA meal does not induce these effects.

Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (Nnmt) methylates nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, to produce N1-methylnicotinamide (MNAM). Nnmt is an emerging metabolic regulator in adipocytes but its role in the liver, a tissue with the strongest Nnmt expression, is not known. In spite of its overall high expression, here we find that hepatic expression of Nnmt is highly variable and correlates with multiple metabolic parameters in mice and in humans. Further, we find that suppression of hepatic Nnmt expression in vivo alters glucose and cholesterol metabolism and that the metabolic effects of Nnmt in the liver are mediated by its product MNAM. Supplementation of high fat diet with MNAM decreases serum and liver cholesterol and liver triglycerides levels in mice. Mechanistically, increasing Nnmt expression or MNAM levels stabilizes sirtuin 1 protein, an effect, which is required for their metabolic benefits. In summary, we describe a novel regulatory pathway for vitamin B3 that could provide a new opportunity for metabolic disease therapy.

Gut microbiota-related metabolites are potential clinical biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Circulating succinate, a metabolite produced by both microbiota and the host, is increased in hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. We aimed to analyze systemic levels of succinate in obesity, a major risk factor for CVD, and its relationship with gut microbiome. We explored the association of circulating succinate with specific metagenomic signatures in cross-sectional and prospective cohorts of Caucasian Spanish subjects. Obesity was associated with elevated levels of circulating succinate concomitant with impaired glucose metabolism. This increase was associated with specific changes in gut microbiota related to succinate metabolism: a higher relative abundance of succinate-producing Prevotellaceae (P) and Veillonellaceae (V), and a lower relative abundance of succinate-consuming Odoribacteraceae (O) and Clostridaceae (C) in obese individuals, with the (P + V/O + C) ratio being a main determinant of plasma succinate. Weight loss intervention decreased (P + V/O + C) ratio coincident with the reduction in circulating succinate. In the spontaneous evolution after good dietary advice, alterations in circulating succinate levels were linked to specific metagenomic signatures associated with carbohydrate metabolism and energy production with independence of body weight change. Our data support the importance of microbe–microbe interactions for the metabolite signature of gut microbiome and uncover succinate as a potential microbiota-derived metabolite related to CVD risk.

Changes in blood microbiota are associated with LF in obese patients. Blood microbiota analysis provides potential biomarkers for the detection of LF in this population. (Hepatology 2016;64:2015-2027).

Iron-related insulin-resistance is improved by iron depletion or treatment with iron chelators. The aim of this study was to evaluate insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion after blood letting in patients who had highferritin type 2 diabetes and were randomized to blood letting (three phlebotomies [500 ml of blood] at 2-week intervals, group 1) or to observation (group 2). Insulin secretion and sensitivity were tested at baseline and 4 and 12 months thereafter. The two groups were matched for age, BMI, pharmacologic treatment, and chronic diabetic complications. All patients were negative for C282Y mutation of hereditary hemochromatosis. Baseline glycated hemoglobin (6.27 ؎ 0.9% vs. 6.39 ؎ 1.2%), insulin sensitivity (2.75 ؎ 1.8 vs. 3.2 ؎ 2.1 mg ⅐ dl ؊1 ⅐ min ؊1 ), and area under the curve for C-peptide (AUC C-peptide ; 38.7 ؎ 11.6 vs. 37.6 ؎ 14.1 ng ⅐ ml ؊1 ⅐ min ؊1 ) were not significantly different between the two groups of patients. Body weight, blood pressure, blood hematocrit levels, and drug treatment remained essentially unchanged during the study period. As expected, serum ferritin, transferrin saturation index, and blood hemoglobin decreased significantly at 4 months only in patients who received blood letting. In parallel to this changes, blood HbA 1c decreased significantly only in group 1 subjects (mean differences, ؊0.61; 95% CI, ؊0.17 to ؊1.048; P ‫؍‬ 0.01). AUC C-peptide decreased by ؊10.2 ؎ 6.3% after blood letting. In contrast, a 10.4 ؎ 6.4% increase in AUC C-peptide was noted in group 2 subjects at 4 months (P ‫؍‬ 0.032). At 12 months, AUC C-peptide returned to values not significantly different from baseline in the two groups of subjects. At 4 months, the change in insulin sensitivity from baseline was significantly different between the two groups (80.6 ؎ 43.2% vs. ؊8.6 ؎ 9.9% in groups 1 and 2, respectively, P ‫؍‬ 0.049). At 12 months, the differences between the two groups were even more marked (55.5 ؎ 24.8% vs. ؊26.8 ؎ 9.9%; P ‫؍‬ 0.005). When the analysis was restricted to those subjects who completed the follow-up until 12 months, results did not show differences compared with the changes observed at 4 months, except for insulin sensitivity. A statistically significant increase in insulin sensitivity was observed in the blood-letting group (from 2.30 ؎ 1.81 to 3.08 ؎ 2.55 mg ⅐ dl ؊1 ⅐ min ؊1 at 4 months, to 3.16 ؎ 1.85 mg ⅐ dl ؊1 ⅐ min ؊1 at 12 months; P ‫؍‬ 0,045) in contrast with group 2 subjects (from 3.24 ؎ 1.9 to 3.26 ؎ 2.05 mg ⅐ dl ؊1 ⅐ min ؊1 at 4 months, to 2.31 ؎ 1.35 mg ⅐ dl ؊1 ⅐ min ؊1 at 12 months). In summary, blood letting led simultaneously to decreased blood HbA 1c levels and to changes in insulin secretion and insulin resistance that were significantly different from those observed in a matched observational group of subjects with high-ferritin type 2 diabetes. The mechanisms for improvement in peripheral insulin sensitivity after blood letting should be investigated further.