SUMMARY Abnormalities in insulin/IGF-1 signaling are associated with infertility, but the molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Here we use liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry to show that the C. elegans insulin/FOXO pathway regulates the metabolism of locally acting lipid hormones called prostaglandins. C. elegans prostaglandins are synthesized without prostaglandin G/H synthase homologs, the targets of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Our results support the model that insulin signaling promotes the conversion of oocyte polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into F-series prostaglandins that guide sperm to the fertilization site. Reduction in insulin signaling activates DAF-16/FOXO, which represses the transcription of germline and intestinal genes required to deliver PUFAs to oocytes in lipoprotein complexes. Nutritional and neuroendocrine cues target this mechanism to control prostaglandin metabolism and reproductive output. Prostaglandins may be conserved sperm guidance factors and widespread downstream effectors of insulin actions that influence both reproductive and nonreproductive processes.

The kudzu vine (Pueraria sp.) is a rich source of isoflavones. Dietary supplements based on kudzu have become commercially available. In the present study, liquid chromatography coupled with negative and positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and diode array detection (DAD) has been used for the detection and characterization of isoflavonoids in kudzu dietary supplements (KDS). The MS/MS spectrum of the protonated ion of puerarin showed characteristic product ions of the C-glycoside unit itself, whereas daidzin generated an abundant Y(0)(+) aglycon ion in its product ion spectrum. A base peak due to the loss of 120 Da [M + H - 120](+) is the diagnostic ion for C-glycosides. Neutral loss scans allowed for the detection of other C- and O-glycosides in the methanolic extract of KDS, and their structures have been proposed. The concentration of isoflavonoids in the methanolic extract of commercially available KDS was quantified by using DAD-HPLC. Puerarin, rather than daidzin, was the most abundant component (8.44-30.60 mg/capsule) in commercially available KDS.

Background Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1(CPT1) is a rate-limiting step of mitochondrial β-oxidation by controlling the mitochondrial uptake of long-chain acyl-CoAs. The muscle isoform, CPT1b, is the predominant isoform expressed in the heart. It has been suggested that inhibiting CPT-1 activity by specific CPT-1 inhibitors exerts protective effects against cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. However, clinical and animal studies have shown mixed results, thereby posting concerns on the safety of this class of drugs. Preclinical studies using genetically modified animal models should provide a better understanding of targeting CPT1 in order to evaluate it as a safe and effective therapeutic approach. Methods and Results Heterozygous CPT1b knockout mice (CPT1b+/−) were subjected to transverse aorta constriction (TAC)-induced pressure-overload. These mice showed overtly normal cardiac structure/function under the basal condition. Under a severe pressure-overload condition induced by two weeks of transverse aorta constriction (TAC), CPT1b+/− mice were susceptible to premature death with congestive heart failure. Under a milder pressure-overload condition, CPT1b+/− mice exhibited exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling compared with that in wild-type littermates. There were more pronounced impairments of cardiac contraction with greater eccentric cardiac hypertrophy in CPT1b+/− than in controlled mice. Moreover, the CPT1b+/− heart exhibited exacerbated mitochondrial abnormalities and myocardial lipid accumulation with elevated triglycerides and ceramide content, leading to greater cardiomyocytes apoptosis. Conclusions We conclude that CPT1b deficiency can cause lipotoxicity in the heart under pathological stress, leading to exacerbation of cardiac pathology. Therefore, caution should be applied in the clinical use of CPT-1 inhibitors.