CMAJ 2007;176(8):1113-20

The findings show an association between PPARG genotypes and carotid arterial phenotypes, and further reflect the prevailing view that the PPARG A12 allele protects against deleterious phenotypes. Also, whereas IMT and TPV are somewhat correlated with each other, they might also represent distinct traits with discrete determinants representing different stages of atherogenesis.

No abstract

Familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD) results from coding sequence mutations either in LMNA, encoding nuclear lamin A/C, or in PPARG, encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). The LMNA form is called FPLD2 (MIM 151660), and the PPARG form is called FPLD3 (MIM 604367). We now report a 21-yr-old female with FPLD and no coding sequence mutations in either LMNA or PPARG. She was heterozygous for a novel A>G mutation at position -14 of intron B upstream of PPARG exon 1 within the promoter of the PPARgamma4 isoform. Her less severely affected father, who had features of the metabolic syndrome and a paucity of limb and gluteal fat, was also heterozygous for -14A>G. This mutation was absent among 600 alleles from normal Caucasians. A minimal promoter sequence bearing the mutation had significantly reduced promoter activity when used to drive reporter expression in in vitro expression in two cell lines, compared with the wild-type sequence. This is the first report of a human mutation in the promoter of a PPARgamma isoform. Because the mutation affects PPARgamma4 expression and is associated with FPLD, this implies that PPARgamma4 might be important for fat depot distribution and metabolism in vivo.

Accumulation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs) in body tissues plays a major role in the development of diabetic complications. Here, the inhibitory effect of bioactive metabolites isolated from fruit hulls of Garcinia mangostana on AGE formation was investigated through bio-guided approach using aminoguanidine (AG) as a positive control. Including G. mangostana total methanol extract (GMT) in the reaction mixture of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glucose or ribose inhibited the fluorescent and non-fluorescent AGEs formation in a dose dependent manner. The bioassay guided fractionation of GMT revealed isolation of four bioactive constituents from the bioactive fraction; which were identified as: garcimangosone D (1), aromadendrin-8-C-glucopyranoside (2), epicatechin (3), and 2,3 1 ,4,5 1 ,6-pentahydroxybenzophenone (4). All the tested compounds significantly inhibited fluorescent and non-fluorescent AGEs formation in a dose dependent manner whereas compound 3 (epicatechin) was found to be the most potent. In search for the level of action, addition of GMT, and compounds 2-4 inhibited fructosamine (Amadori product) and protein aggregation formation in both glucose and ribose. To explore the mechanism of action, it was found that addition of GMT and only compound (3) to reaction mixture increased protein thiol in both glucose and ribose while compounds 1, 2 and 4 only increased thiol in case of ribose. In conclusion, phenolic compounds 1-4 inhibited AGEs formation at the levels of Amadori product and protein aggregation formation through saving protein thiol.