Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing worldwide epidemic and an important risk factor for the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and hepatic cellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the prevalence of NAFLD, lifestyle interventions involving exercise and weight loss are the only accepted treatments for this disease. Over the last decade, numerous experimental compounds have been shown to improve NAFLD in preclinical animal models, and many of these therapeutics have been shown to increase the activity of the cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Because AMPK activity is reduced by inflammation, obesity, and diabetes, increasing AMPK activity has been viewed as a viable therapeutic strategy to improve NAFLD. In this review, we propose three primary mechanisms by which AMPK activation may improve NAFLD. In addition, we examine the mechanisms by which AMPK is activated. Finally, we identify 27 studies that have used AMPK activators to reduce NAFLD. Future considerations for studies examining the relationship between AMPK and NAFLD are highlighted.

SUMMARY Brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues play distinct roles in maintaining whole-body energy homeostasis, and their dysfunction can contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes. The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a cellular energy sensor, but its role in regulating BAT and WAT metabolism is unclear. We generated an inducible model for deletion of the two AMPK β subunits in adipocytes (iβ1β2AKO) and found that iβ1β2AKO mice were cold intolerant and resistant to β-adrenergic activation of BAT and beiging of WAT. BAT from iβ1β2AKO mice had impairments in mitochondrial structure, function, and markers of mitophagy. In response to a high-fat diet, iβ1β2AKO mice more rapidly developed liver steatosis as well as glucose and insulin intolerance. Thus, AMPK in adipocytes is vital for maintaining mitochondrial integrity, responding to pharmacological agents and thermal stress, and protecting against nutrient-overload-induced NAFLD and insulin resistance.

Intestinal dysbiosis contributes to obesity and insulin resistance, but intervening with antibiotics, prebiotics, or probiotics can be limited by specificity or sustained changes in microbial composition. Postbiotics include bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharides, which have been shown to promote insulin resistance during metabolic endotoxemia. We found that bacterial cell wall-derived muramyl dipeptide (MDP) is an insulin-sensitizing postbiotic that requires NOD2. Injecting MDP lowered adipose inflammation and reduced glucose intolerance in obese mice without causing weight loss or altering the composition of the microbiome. MDP reduced hepatic insulin resistance during obesity and low-level endotoxemia. NOD1-activating muropeptides worsened glucose tolerance. IRF4 distinguished opposing glycemic responses to different types of peptidoglycan and was required for MDP/NOD2-induced insulin sensitization and lower metabolic tissue inflammation during obesity and endotoxemia. IRF4 was dispensable for exacerbated glucose intolerance via NOD1. Mifamurtide, an MDP-based drug with orphan drug status, was an insulin sensitizer at clinically relevant doses in obese mice.

BackgroundAlterations in skeletal muscle contractile activity necessitate an efficient remodeling mechanism. In particular, mitochondrial turnover is essential for tissue homeostasis during muscle adaptations to chronic use and disuse. While mitochondrial biogenesis appears to be largely governed by the transcriptional co-activator peroxisome proliferator co-activator 1 alpha (PGC-1α), selective mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) is thought to mediate organelle degradation. However, whether PGC-1α plays a direct role in autophagy is currently unclear.MethodsTo investigate the role of the co-activator in autophagy and mitophagy during skeletal muscle remodeling, PGC-1α knockout (KO) and overexpressing (Tg) animals were unilaterally denervated, a common model of chronic muscle disuse.ResultsAnimals lacking PGC-1α exhibited diminished mitochondrial density alongside myopathic characteristics reminiscent of autophagy-deficient muscle. Denervation promoted an induction in autophagy and lysosomal protein expression in wild-type (WT) animals, which was partially attenuated in KO animals, resulting in reduced autophagy and mitophagy flux. PGC-1α overexpression led to an increase in lysosomal capacity as well as indicators of autophagy flux but exhibited reduced localization of LC3II and p62 to mitochondria, compared to WT animals. A correlation was observed between the levels of the autophagy-lysosome master regulator transcription factor EB (TFEB) and PGC-1α in muscle, supporting their coordinated regulation.ConclusionsOur investigation has uncovered a regulatory role for PGC-1α in mitochondrial turnover, not only through biogenesis but also via degradation using the autophagy-lysosome machinery. This implies a PGC-1α-mediated cross-talk between these two opposing processes, working to ensure mitochondrial homeostasis during muscle adaptation to chronic disuse.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13395-015-0033-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Ablation of AMPK in mouse adipocytes results in cold intolerance, a reduction in non-shivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT), and the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and insulin resistance; effects associated with a defect in mitochondrial specific autophagy (mitophagy) within BAT. The effects of a β3-adrenergic agonist on the induction of BAT thermogenesis and the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) are also blunted in mice lacking adipose tissue AMPK. A specific AMPK activator, A-769662, also results in the activation of BAT and the browning of WAT, effects which may involve demethylation of the PR domain containing 16 (Prdm16) promoter region, which is important for BAT development. AMPK plays an important role in the development and maintenance of brown and beige adipose tissue. Adipose tissue AMPK is reduced in people with insulin resistance, consistent with findings that mice lacking adipocyte AMPK develop greater NAFLD and insulin resistance. These data suggest that pharmacologically targeting adipose tissue AMPK may represent a promising strategy to enhance energy expenditure and reduce circulating glucose and lipids, which may be effective for the treatment of NAFLD and T2D.