Insulin Resistance In C2C12 Cells Research Articles

Amelioration of palmitate-induced insulin resistance in C2C12 muscle cells by rooibos (Aspalathus linearis)

Increased levels of free fatty acids (FFAs), specifically saturated free fatty acids such as palmitate are associated with insulin resistance of muscle, fat and liver. Skeletal muscle, responsible for up to 80% of the glucose disposal from the peripheral circulation, is particularly vulnerable to increased levels of saturated FFAs. Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and its unique dihydrochalcone C-glucoside, aspalathin, shown to reduce hyperglycemia in diabetic rats, could play a role in preventing or ameliorating the development of insulin resistance. This study aims to establish whether rooibos can ameliorate experimentally-induced insulin-resistance in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Palmitate-induced insulin resistant C2C12 cells were treated with an aspalathin-enriched green (unfermented) rooibos extract (GRE), previously shown for its blood glucose lowering effect in vitro and in vivo or an aqueous extract of fermented rooibos (FRE). Glucose uptake and mitochondrial activity were measured using 2-deoxy-[3H]-d-glucose, MTT and ATP assays, respectively. Expression of proteins relevant to glucose metabolism was analysed by Western blot. GRE contained higher levels of all compounds, except the enolic phenylpyruvic acid-2-O-glucoside and luteolin-7-O-glucoside. Both rooibos extracts increased glucose uptake, mitochondrial activity and ATP production. Compared to FRE, GRE was more effective at increasing glucose uptake and ATP production. At a mechanistic level both extracts down-regulated PKC θ activation, which is associated with palmitate-induced insulin resistance. Furthermore, the extracts increased activation of key regulatory proteins (AKT and AMPK) involved in insulin-dependent and non-insulin regulated signalling pathways. Protein levels of the glucose transporter (GLUT4) involved in glucose transport via these two pathways were also increased. This in vitro study therefore confirms that rooibos can ameliorate palmitate-induced insulin resistance in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Inhibition of PKC θ activation and increased activation of AMPK and AKT offer a plausible mechanistic explanation for this ameliorative effect.

Leukocyte antigen-related inhibition attenuates palmitate-induced insulin resistance in muscle cells

Palmitate has been shown to induce insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the leukocyte common antigen-related (LAR) gene in palmitate-induced insulin resistance in C2C12 cells. A stable C2C12 cell line was generated using LAR short hairpin RNA. The levels of LAR protein and phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1) and Akt were detected by western blot analysis. 2-Deoxyglucose uptake was measured in LAR knockdown and control cells using d-[2-(3)H]glucose. LAR protein level was decreased by 65% in the stable cell line compared with the control cells. Palmitate (0.5 mM) significantly induced LAR mRNA (65%) and protein levels (40%) in myotubes compared with untreated cells. Palmitate significantly reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in both the control and LAR knockdown cells by 33 and 51% respectively. However, LAR depletion improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in myotubes treated with palmitate. Furthermore, the inhibition of LAR prevented palmitate-induced decreases in phosphorylation of IRS1(Tyr632) and Akt(Ser473) in C2C12 cells. In conclusion, these results reveal that palmitate induces LAR expression in C2C12 cells. We also provided evidence that the inhibition of LAR attenuates palmitate-induced insulin resistance in myotubes.

Mitochondrial Fission Contributes to Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Insulin Resistance in Skeletal Muscle

Mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Considering the importance of mitochondrial dynamics in mitochondrial and cellular functions, we hypothesized that obesity and excess energy intake shift the balance of mitochondrial dynamics, further contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic deterioration in skeletal muscle. First, we revealed that excess palmitate (PA), but not hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, or elevated tumor necrosis factor alpha, induced mitochondrial fragmentation and increased mitochondrion-associated Drp1 and Fis1 in differentiated C2C12 muscle cells. This fragmentation was associated with increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial depolarization, loss of ATP production, and reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of Drp1 attenuated PA-induced mitochondrial fragmentation, mitochondrial depolarization, and insulin resistance in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, we found smaller and shorter mitochondria and increased mitochondrial fission machinery in the skeletal muscle of mice with genetic obesity and those with diet-induced obesity. Inhibition of mitochondrial fission improved the muscle insulin signaling and systemic insulin sensitivity of obese mice. Our findings indicated that aberrant mitochondrial fission is causally associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Thus, disruption of mitochondrial dynamics may underlie the pathogenesis of muscle insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The Monascus metabolite monascin against TNF-α-induced insulin resistance via suppressing PPAR-γ phosphorylation in C2C12 myotubes

Chronic inflammation in muscle tissue causes insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) ligands are reported to activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, including pioglitazone, which belong to the thiazolidinedione (TZD). Monascin (MS), a Monascus metabolite, has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory activity in our recent study. Therefore, the alleviating mechanism of MS on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α; 20ng/mL) induced insulin resistance in C2C12 cells was investigated in this study. Results showed that MS increased the uptake of 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-NBDG) in C2C12 myotubes. This result was associated with both PPAR-γ activity and PI3K/Akt pathway caused by MS inhibited p-JNK activity and prevented PPAR-γ phosphorylation. Moreover, we found that MS may act a PPAR-γ agonist to improve insulin sensitivity, and this issue was further confirmed by PPAR-γ antagonist (GW9662). Briefly, MS as pioglitazone, stabilized PPAR-γ structure and diminished PPAR-γ phosphorylation thereby improving insulin resistance.

LRP16 gene causes insulin resistance in C2-C12 cells by inhibiting the IRS-1 signaling and the transcriptional activity of peroxisome proliferator actived receptor γ

To explore the effect of LRP (leukemia related protein) 16 on insulin resistance in C2-C12 cells and explore its molecular mechanism. Lipidosome transfection and lentivirus mediated siRNA (small interfering RNA) technology were used to establish LRP 16 overexpression and underexpression cell lines and their corresponding control cell lines. And 2-deoxy-[(3)H]-glucose was used to measure the effect of LRP 16 on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. The effects of LRP16 on the phosphorylation of IRS (insulin receptor substrate)-1, Akt and the expressions of PI3K (p85), PPAR (peroxisome proliferator actived receptor) γ and GLUT-4 were detected by Western blot. Luciferase was used to study the effect of LRP16 on the transcriptional activity of PPARγ. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake decreased to 46% of the control when LRP16 was over-expressed [(4700 ± 97) vs. (10200 ± 347), P < 0.01]. And the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was 1.73 fold of control when the expression of LRP16 was suppressed in C2-C12 cells [(17600 ± 466) vs (10200 ± 91), P < 0.05]. The overexpression of LRP16 attenuated the insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1, the phosphorylation of Akt and the expressions of PI3K (p85), PPARγ and GLUT-4. But it promoted the insulin-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1 at Ser307 in C2-C12 cells. LRP16 decreased the transcriptional activity of PPARγ in a dose-dependent manner. The transcriptional activity of PPARγ decreased to 43% and 27% of the control when the doses of pcDNA3.1-16 were 0.4 µg and 0.5 µg [(76 ± 11) vs (33 ± 9), P < 0.01] and 27% [(21 ± 9) vs (76 ± 11), P < 0.01]. LRP16 gene causes insulin resistance in C2-C12 cells by inhibiting the IRS-1 signaling and the transcriptional activity of PPARγ.

Focal adhesion kinase regulates insulin resistance in skeletal muscle

On the basis of our previous studies, we investigated the possible role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the development of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, a major organ responsible for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Insulin-resistant C2C12 skeletal muscle cells were transfected with FAK wild-type or FAK mutant plasmids, knocked down using small interfering RNA (siRNA), and their effects on the levels and activities of insulin-signalling molecules and on glucose uptake were determined. A significant decrease in tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK in insulin-resistant C2C12 cells was observed. A similar decrease was observed in skeletal muscle obtained from insulin-resistant Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet. Increased levels of FAK in insulin-resistant C2C12 skeletal muscle cells increased insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake. These effects were reversed by an increase in the level of kinase activity mutant FAK or suppression of endogenous FAK by siRNA. FAK was also found to interact downstream with insulin receptor substrate-1, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase C and glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, leading to translocation of glucose transporter 4 and resulting in the regulation of glucose uptake. The present study provides strong evidence that the modulation of FAK level regulates the insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle cells. The results demonstrate a direct role of FAK in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle cells for the first time.

Insulin Resistance, Its Consequences, and Coronary Heart Disease

Approximately 25 years ago, our research group1 2 used quantitative methods to show that resistance to insulin-mediated glucose disposal was present in patients with either impaired glucose tolerance or NIDDM. These initial observations have been confirmed on multiple occasions since then, and there is now a large body of evidence that shows that this defect is present in the vast majority of glucose-intolerant individuals.3 4 5 6 7 8 In addition, several reports9 10 11 demonstrated that first-degree relatives of patients with NIDDM are also relatively insulin resistant compared with well-matched volunteers without a family history of NIDDM. Finally, prospective studies12 13 14 15 16 have identified insulin resistance and/or compensatory hyperinsulinemia as the initial defect in the development of NIDDM. Thus, the central role of insulin resistance in the pathogenesis and clinical course of patients with NIDDM has been well established. Of greater relevance to the IRAS study of “Insulin Sensitivity and Atherosclerosis” published in this issue of Circulation 17 is recent awareness that the ability of insulin to mediate glucose disposal can differ by as much as 10-fold in subjects with normal glucose tolerance.18 19 Because the degree of insulin resistance in a substantial portion of these persons approaches that seen in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or NIDDM, it is assumed that they are able to secrete enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance and maintain normal glucose tolerance. Unfortunately, the philanthropic response on the part of the pancreatic β-cell is not without cost, and in 1988,20 it was emphasized that these individuals were at increased risk to have higher plasma TG and lower HDL cholesterol concentrations and higher blood pressure. More importantly, it was suggested that the cluster of abnormalities associated with insulin resistance, designated as Syndrome X, significantly increased …