Obesity is associated with local and systemic complications in acute pancreatitis. PPARγ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) is a transcriptional co-activator and master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis that exhibits dysregulation in obese subjects. Our aims were 1) to study PGC-1α levels in pancreas from lean or obese rats and mice with acute pancreatitis; and 2) to determine the role of PGC-1α in the inflammatory response during acute pancreatitis elucidating the signaling pathways regulated by PGC-1α. Lean and obese Zucker rats and lean and obese C57BL6 mice were used first, and subsequently wild-type and PGC-1α knock-out (KO) mice with cerulein-induced pancreatitis were used to assess the inflammatory response and expression of target genes. Ppargc1a mRNA and protein levels were markedly down-regulated in pancreas of obese mice versus lean mice. PGC-1α protein levels increased in pancreas of lean mice with acute pancreatitis, but not in obese mice with pancreatitis. Il6 mRNA levels were dramatically up-regulated in pancreas of PGC-1α KO mice after cerulein-induced pancreatitis in comparison with wild type mice with pancreatitis. Edema and the inflammatory infiltrate were more intense in pancreas from PGC-1α KO mice than in wild type mice. The lack of PGC-1α markedly enhanced nuclear translocation of phospho-p65 and recruitment of p65 to Il6 promoter. PGC-1α bound phospho-p65 in pancreas during pancreatitis in wild type mice. Glutathione depletion in cerulein-induced pancreatitis was more severe in KO mice than in wild type mice. PGC-1α KO mice with pancreatitis, but not wild type mice, exhibited increased MPO activity in the lungs together with alveolar wall thickening and collapse, which were abrogated by blockade of the IL-6 receptor gp130 with LMT-28. In conclusion, obese rodents exhibit PGC-1α deficiency in the pancreas. PGC-1α acts as selective repressor of NF-κB towards IL-6 in pancreas. PGC-1α deficiency markedly enhanced NF-κB-mediated up-regulation of Il6 in pancreas in pancreatitis, leading to severe inflammatory response.

Significance: NF-κB is a master regulator of the inflammatory response and represents a key regulatory node in the complex inflammatory signaling network. Additionally, selective NF-κB transcriptional activity on specific target genes occurs through the control of redox-sensitive NF-κB interactions.Critical issues: NF-κB is a redox-sensitive transcription factor that forms specific signaling complexes to regulate selectively the expression of target genes in acute inflammation. Protein-protein interactions with co-regulatory proteins, other transcription factors, and chromatin remodelling proteins provide transcriptional specificity to NF-κB. Furthermore, different NF-κB subunits may form distinct redoxsensitive homo and heterodimers with distinct affinities for κB sites. Recent advances:The selective NF-κB response is mediated by redox-modulated NF-κB complexes with RPS3, PIR. CBP/p300, PGC-1, AP-1, STAT3, EGR-1 and SP-1. NF-κB is cooperatively co-activated with AP-1, STAT3, EGR-1 and SP-1 during the inflammatory process, whereas NF-κB complexes with CBP/p300 and PGC-1α regulates the expression of antioxidant genes. p65 and Nrf2 compete for binding to coactivator CBP/p300 playing opposite roles in the regulation of inflammatory genes. Snitrosylation or tyrosine nitration favors the recruitment of specific NF-κB subunits to κB sites. Future directions:Further research is required to elucidate the whole NF-κB interactome in order to fully characterize the complex NF-κB signalling network in redox signaling, inflammation, and cancer.

Extracellular nucleosomes are intensely released in obese patients with acute pancreatitis. Pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid triggers the release of extracellular nucleosomes in rats with severe pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process of the pancreatic gland that may lead to dysregulation of the trans-sulfuration pathway. The aims of this work were firstly to study the methionine cycle as well as the trans-sulfuration pathway using metabolomic and proteomic approaches identifying the causes of this dysregulation in an experimental model of acute pancreatitis; and secondly to reveal the effects of S-adenosylmethionine administration on these pathways. Acute pancreatitis was induced by cerulein in mice, and a group of animals received S-adenosylmethionine treatment. Cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis rapidly caused marked depletion of methionine, S-adenosylmethionine, 5′-methylthioadenosine, cystathionine, cysteine, and glutathione levels in pancreas, but S-adenosylhomocysteine and homocysteine remained unchanged. Protein steady-state levels of S-adenosylhomocysteine-hydrolase and cystathionine gamma-lyase diminished but methylthioadenosine phosphorylase levels increased in pancreas with acute pancreatitis. Although cystathionine β-synthase protein levels did not change with acute pancreatitis, Nos2 mRNA and protein levels were markedly up-regulated and caused tyrosine nitration of cystathionine β-synthase in pancreas. S-adenosylmethionine administration enhanced Nos2 mRNA expression and cystathionine β-synthase nitration and triggered homocysteine accumulation in acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, S-adenosylmethionine administration promoted enrichment of the euchromatin marker H3K4me3 in the promoters of Tnf-α, Il-6, and Nos2 and enhanced the mRNA up-regulation of these genes. Accordingly, S-adenosylmethionine administration increased inflammatory infiltrate and edema in pancreas with acute pancreatitis. In conclusion, tyrosine-nitration of cystathionine β-synthase blockades the trans-sulfuration pathway in acute pancreatitis promoting homocysteine accumulation upon S-adenosylmethionine treatment.

Energy drinks, as familiar consumer products, have been widely used in laboratory courses to help promote student interest, as well as to connect lecture concepts with laboratory work. Energy drinks contain B vitamins: pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and riboflavin (vitamin B2) of which amounts are high enough to be of concern. In this work, a fast and inexpensive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence detection method for determining pyridoxine and riboflavin simultaneously in energy drinks is developed. It takes advantage of the native fluorescence of B vitamins and provides high selectivity and sensitivity with low background noise. The method is suitable for undergraduate students, but it could be used for graduate level too including extra tasks such optimization and validation stages.