Peripheral blood mononuclear cells as a potential source of biomarkers to test the efficacy of weight‐loss strategies

Abstract

B arbara Reyn es, Rub en D ıaz-R ua, Margalida Cifre, Paula Oliver, and Andreu Palou Objectives: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) constitute an easily obtainable blood cell fraction useful in nutrition and obesity studies. Our aim was to study the potential use of PBMC to reflect metabolic recovery associated with weight loss in rats. Methods: By real-time PCR, the fasting response of key energy homeostatic genes in PBMC samples of control and cafeteria-obese rats and of rats fed a control diet after the intake of a cafeteria diet (postcafeteria model) was analyzed. Results: Fasting caused decreased mRNA expression of lipogenic (Fasn and Srebp1a) and adipogenic (Pparc) genes in PBMC, whereas it increased the expression of the key beta-oxidation gene Cpt1a and the orexigenic gene Npy. Fasting response of the genes studied was impaired in cafeteria-obese animals but was recovered in post-cafeteria rats, which showed a significant body weight decrease and normalization of adipose and metabolic parameters. Npy expression analyzed in PBMC has been revealed to be especially useful as a marker of fasting sensitivity, as its fasting response is not affected by the age of the animals and it is recovered even after shorter time of exposure to a balanced diet. Conclusions: PBMC reflect homeostatic balance recovery associated with weight loss in obese animals, when reverting from a hyperlipidic to a control balanced diet.

Transcriptional profiling and biological pathway analysis of human equivalence PCB exposure in vitro: Indicator of disease and disorder development in humans

“…metabolic disorders (including obesity and diabetes) cardiovascular, endocrine disruption, and cancers, in accord with results observed in epidemiological settings (Langer et al, 2014; Arrebola et al, 2014; Recio-Vega et al, 2013; Lee et al, 2014; Wadzinski et al, 2014; Pereira-Fernandes et al, 2014; Sexton et al, 2013, Casas et al, 2014). Research utilizing PBMC cells in human are now being widely used to test for the efficacy of new drugs and treatments, to divulge the differential gene expression patterns induced by toxicity, and to study downstream effectors, all of which can be used as a potential source for developing disease-specific biomarkers (Reynes et al, 2014; Saidijam et al, 2014; Roccaet et al, 2014; Kong 2014). In such a model, studying the gene expression changes might provide us a valuable insights and better understanding of their mechanism(s) of action by highlighting which enzymes or proteins are targeted by these exposures.…”

Beneficial Effects of Pterocarpan-High Soybean Leaf Extract on Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Korean Subjects: Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), composed of cells, including lymphocytes, monocytes, and dendritic cells, can be easily obtained from blood and have been used as a tool in nutrition studies [9] and as a common target of immunological studies in animals and humans [10]. In addition, the transcriptome or gene expression analysis in PBMCs can reveal information on the lipid metabolism in obesity-associated organs, adipose tissue, and the liver [11].…”

Identification of Mest/Peg1 gene expression as a predictive biomarker of adipose tissue expansion sensitive to dietary anti-obesity interventions

“…Among accessible samples, blood cells are increasingly being investigated as a source of transcript-based biomarkers in nutritional and obesity studies. It has been shown that gene expression in blood cells can mirror gene expression changes in key tissues in energy homeostasis and respond to both internal and external stimuli (Reynes et al 2015;Oliver et al 2013;de Mello et al 2012). …”