No abstract

Understanding the dietary components that can prevent and treat diabetes mellitus types 2 (DMT2) is important to millions of people who are at risk for and currently suffer from the various aspects of this disease. Our diets can affect our health at the level of gene expression, thus, determining foods that can positively affect cellular activity can be advantageous to our daily lives. Butyric acid is a fatty acid that can be fermented from fiber by beneficial intestinal bacteria. This substance has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic activity in mice and to affect genes involved in the insulin pathway both in cell culture and in mice. This study determined the effect of butyric acid on the expression of two genes important to insulin sensitivity, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), in human preadipocytes in vitro. Butyric acid at concentrations 0.05 mg/ml, 0.1 mg/ml, and 1.0 mg/ml each increased the expression of both of these genes, indicating that cells are more sensitive to insulin in the presence of this component. This study indicates that butyric acid can be implemented into dietary plans to prevent and control DMT2 by increasing daily fiber intake.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) affects hundreds of millions of people globally and costs billions of dollars each year. The importance of research toward prevention and treatment of this disease cannot be overestimated. Butyric acid is a short chain fatty acid that has been shown in mice and in intestinal cell culture studies to increase insulin sensitivity at the level of gene expression. However, little or no work has been reported on its effects on human liver cells. The present study determined the changes in gene expression of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) on insulin shocked THLE-2 human liver cells exposed in vitro to the following concentrations of butyric acid in mg/ml: 0.05, 0.1, and 1.0. GLUT2 and IRS1 had increases in expression at doses of butyric acid previously found to be nontoxic in human serum. This work indicates that more studies involving the effects of butyric acid on gene expression of insulin resistant human hepatocytes are warranted.

Over 27 million people in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes mellitus, with a disproportionate number being African American. There is abundant evidence of environmental and genetic influence, with several single nucleotide polymorphisms reaching genome-wide significance. The work was a pilot study to begin to determine whether type 2 diabetes mellitus can be improved in society through personalized medicine, by approaching individual patients from the standpoint of their unique at-risk or protective genes in addition to lifestyle and family history. Twenty-seven patients volunteered to answer questions on family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and had their body mass index, glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and insulin levels determined. They also had DNA extracted with single nucleotide polymorphisms determined by Affymetrix precision medicine research array. Fourteen single nucleotide polymorphisms relating to T2DM were found in the microarray used in this study. Number of at-risk single nucleotide polymorphisms varied for participants and 3 had the protective single nucleotide polymorphisms. While all participants had at-risk single nucleotide polymorphisms, some individuals with a body mass index in the obese range or with family history of the disease were found to have a greater number of single nucleotide polymorphisms that place them at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study shows how combined knowledge of patient single nucleotide polymorphisms, family history, and lab parameters may provide information for developing a personalized medicine plan.

Aims: The current study aimed to determine the effects of various fatty acids on the expression of glucose-6-phosphatase-α (G6Pase-α) and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4). Methods: HepG2 cells were seeded in a 96-well plate with Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Media, high glucose and bovine serum albumin with 25 µmoll of each fatty acid individually (butyric, politic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids) for 24 hours at 37°C with and without 10 minute incubation of 100 nmol insulin. qPCR was performed using G6Pase-α and PDK4 primers; fold-changes in gene activity were determined. Results: Butyric (-2.0) and linoleic (-65.8) acids caused down regulations of G6Pase-α in the presence of insulin while linoleic (-96.6) acid caused a down regulation of PDK4 in the presence of insulin; all caused upregulations of both these genes in the absence of insulin. Conclusions: This study suggests that linolenic acid, which is present in soybeans, walnuts, and kiwi seeds, is beneficial to processing glucose and could increase insulin sensitivity through molecular influence in patients with metabolic syndrome or serve as prevention. Other fatty acids tested, with exception of butyric acid, did not show beneficial effects in the direction of decreasing glucose