Alain Ktorza

Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Are Obligatory Signals For Glucose-Induced Insulin Secretion

OBJECTIVE—Insulin secretion involves complex events in which the mitochondria play a pivotal role in the generation of signals that couple glucose detection to insulin secretion. Studies on the mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generally focus on chronic nutrient exposure. Here, we investigate whether transient mitochondrial ROS production linked to glucose-induced increased respiration might act as a signal for monitoring insulin secretion. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—ROS production in response to glucose was investigated in freshly isolated rat islets. ROS effects were studied using a pharmacological approach and calcium imaging. RESULTS—Transient glucose increase from 5.5 to 16.7 mmol/l stimulated ROS generation, which was reversed by antioxidants. Insulin secretion was dose dependently blunted by antioxidants and highly correlated with ROS levels. The incapacity of β-cells to secrete insulin in response to glucose with antioxidants was associated with a decrease in ROS production and in contrast to the maintenance of high levels of ATP and NADH. Then, we investigated the mitochondrial origin of ROS (mROS) as the triggering signal. Insulin release was mimicked by the mitochondrial-complex blockers, antimycin and rotenone, that generate mROS. The adding of antioxidants to mitochondrial blockers or to glucose was used to lower mROS reversed insulin secretion. Finally, calcium imaging on perifused islets using glucose stimulation or mitochondrial blockers revealed that calcium mobilization was completely reversed using the antioxidant trolox and that it was of extracellular origin. No toxic effects were present using these pharmacological approaches. CONCLUSIONS—Altogether, these complementary results demonstrate that mROS production is a necessary stimulus for glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Neogenesis vs. apoptosis as main components of pancreatic β cell mass changes in glucose-infused normal and mildly diabetic adult rats

We have investigated in adult rats made mildly diabetic by a low dose of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg; STZ rats) and in nondiabetic rats (ND rats) the mechanisms leading to adaptive changes in the β cell mass, during glucose infusion and several days after stopping infusion. As early as 24 h of glucose infusion, the β cell mass was maximally increased in ND and STZ rats. In both groups, this increase was due mainly to a rapid activation of neogenesis of new endocrine cells rather than to an increase in β cell proliferation. Seven days after stopping glucose infusion, the β cell mass returned to basal values in both groups as a result of stimulation of β cell apoptosis and a decrease in β cell replication rate. In glucose‐infused ND rats, changes in the β cell mass were correlated to insulin secretion, whereas in STZ rats, insulin secretion in response to glucose was still impaired whatever the β cell mass. In conclusion, the data stress the impressive plasticity of the endocrine pancreas of adult rats. They also show that changes in β cell mass in ND and STZ rats resulted from a disruption in the balance between neogenesis and apoptosis.—Bernard, C., Berthault, M.‐F., Saulnier, C., Ktorza, A. Neogenesis vs. apoptosis as main components of pancreatic β cell mass changes in glucose‐infused normal and mildly diabetic adult rats. FASEB J. 13, 1195–1205 (1999)

Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Are Required for Hypothalamic Glucose Sensing

The physiological signaling mechanisms that link glucose sensing to the electrical activity in metabolism-regulating hypothalamus are still controversial. Although ATP production was considered the main metabolic signal, recent studies show that the glucose-stimulated signaling in neurons is not totally dependent on this production. Here, we examined whether mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS), which are physiologically generated depending on glucose metabolism, may act as physiological sensors to monitor the glucose-sensing response. Transient increase from 5 to 20 mmol/l glucose stimulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation on hypothalamic slices ex vivo, which is reversed by adding antioxidants, suggesting that hypothalamic cells generate ROS to rapidly increase glucose level. Furthermore, in vivo, data demonstrate that both the glucose-induced increased neuronal activity in arcuate nucleus and the subsequent nervous-mediated insulin release might be mimicked by the mitochondrial complex blockers antimycin and rotenone, which generate mROS. Adding antioxidants such as trolox and catalase or the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone in order to lower mROS during glucose stimulation completely reverses both parameters. In conclusion, the results presented here clearly show that the brain glucose-sensing mechanism involved mROS signaling. We propose that this mROS production plays a key role in brain metabolic signaling.

Lipid infusion lowers sympathetic nervous activity and leads to increased β-cell responsiveness to glucose

We investigated the possible involvement of the autonomic nervous system in the effect of a long-term elevation of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentration on glucose-induced insulin secretion (GIIS) in rats. Rats were infused with an emulsion of triglycerides (Intralipid) for 48 hours (IL rats). This resulted in a twofold increase in plasma FFA concentration. At the end of infusion, GIIS as reflected in the insulinogenic index (DeltaI/DeltaG) was 2.5-fold greater in IL rats compared with control saline-infused rats. The ratio of sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous activities was sharply decreased in IL rats relative to controls. GIIS was studied in the presence of increasing amounts of alpha- and beta-adrenoreceptor agonists and antagonists. The lowest concentrations of the alpha2A-adrenoreceptor agonist oxymetazoline, which were ineffective in control rats, reduced GIIS in IL rats. At the dose of 0.3 pmol/kg, GIIS became similar in IL and control rats. The use of beta-adrenoreceptor agonist (isoproterenol) or antagonist (propranolol) did not result in a significant alteration in GIIS in both groups. GIIS remained as high in IL vagotomized rats as in intact IL rats, indicating that changes in parasympathetic tone were of minor importance. Altogether, the data show that lipid infusion provokes beta-cell hyperresponsiveness in vivo, at least in part through changes in alpha2-adrenergic innervation.

Inheritance of Diabetes Mellitus as Consequence of Gestational Hyperglycemia in Rats

Our study investigated whether a deterioration of glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion in adult female rats from hyperglycemic dams could be transmitted to the next generation independent of genetic interferences. Dams (F0) were rendered hyperglycemic by continuous glucose infusion during the last week of pregnancy. Females born of these rats (F1) exhibited glucose intolerance and impaired insulin secretion in vivo at adulthood. When they were 3 mo old, they were mated with males born of control dams. During pregnancy, their glucose tolerance remained impaired compared with that of controls. Consequently, F2 newborns of F1 hyperglycemic dams showed the main features of newborns from diabetic mothers: they were hyperglycemie, hyperinsulinemic, and macrosomic. As adults, they displayed basal hyperglycemia and defective glucose tolerance and insulin secretion. This indicates that the long-range deteriorating effects on glucose homeostasis of gestationai hyperglycemia in the F1generation are transmitted to the F2 generation and suggests that a perturbed fetal metabolic environment contributes to the inheritance of diabetes mellitus.

Glucose-induced preproinsulin gene expression is inhibited by the free fatty acid palmitate.

Prolonged exposure to elevated FFA levels has been shown to induce peripheral insulin resistance and to alter the beta-cell secretory response to glucose. To investigate the effects of FFAs on preproinsulin gene expression, we measured insulin release, cell content, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in rat islets after a 24-h exposure to 1 mM palmitate. Insulin release increased at all glucose concentrations studied; in contrast, preproinsulin mRNA levels were specifically reduced by palmitate at high glucose with a decrease in insulin stores, suggesting that palmitate inhibits the glucose-stimulated increase in preproinsulin gene expression. The mechanisms by which palmitate affects preproinsulin gene expression implicate both preproinsulin mRNA stability and transcription, as suggested by an actinomycin D decay assay, quantification of primary preproinsulin transcripts, and transient transfection experiments in Min6 cells. Metabolism of palmitate is not required to obtain these effects, inasmuch as they can be reproduced by 2-bromopalmitate. However, oleate and linoleate did not significantly influence preproinsulin mRNA levels. We conclude that insulin release and preproinsulin gene expression are not coordinately regulated by palmitate and that chronically elevated FFA levels may interfere with beta-cell function and be implicated in the development of noninsulin-dependent diabetes.

Impaired Glucose Homeostasis in Adult Rats From Hyperglycemic Mothers

The purpose of our study was to investigate whether nondiabetic gestationai hyperglycemia during fetal life could have additional effects on glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion in the adult rat. Hyperglycemia without the main other metabolic disorders and vascular injuries associated with diabetes was produced in unrestrained pregnant rats by continuous glucose infusion during the last week of pregnancy. Control rats were infused with distilled water. Compared with controls, the newborns from hyperglycemic rats were hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic. When studied longitudinally up to 3 mo, they showed slightly but significantly increased basal plasma glucose levels and normal basal insulin concentrations compared with controls. Glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in response to a glucose load (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.) were altered: Plasma glucose values were more increased at 5 min and remained higher 90 min after glucose injection; incremental plasma insulin values and the insulinogenic indexes (ΔIRI/ΔG) were always lower in rats from hyperglycemic mothers than in controls. These alterations were more and more marked with advancing age (1–3 mo). These data show that gestationai hyperglycemia may lead to persistent impairment of glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion in the adult rat.

Proteasomal degradation of retinoid X receptor α reprograms transcriptional activity of PPARγ in obese mice and humans

Obese patients have chronic, low-grade inflammation that predisposes to type 2 diabetes and results, in part, from dysregulated visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) functions. The specific signaling pathways underlying WAT dysregulation, however, remain unclear. Here we report that the PPARgamma signaling pathway operates differently in the visceral WAT of lean and obese mice. PPARgamma in visceral, but not subcutaneous, WAT from obese mice displayed increased sensitivity to activation by its agonist rosiglitazone. This increased sensitivity correlated with increased expression of the gene encoding the ubiquitin hydrolase/ligase ubiquitin carboxyterminal esterase L1 (UCH-L1) and with increased degradation of the PPARgamma heterodimerization partner retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRalpha), but not RXRbeta, in visceral WAT from obese humans and mice. Interestingly, increased UCH-L1 expression and RXRalpha proteasomal degradation was induced in vitro by conditions mimicking hypoxia, a condition that occurs in obese visceral WAT. Finally, PPARgamma-RXRbeta heterodimers, but not PPARgamma-RXRalpha complexes, were able to efficiently dismiss the transcriptional corepressor silencing mediator for retinoid and thyroid hormone receptors (SMRT) upon agonist binding. Increasing the RXRalpha/RXRbeta ratio resulted in increased PPARgamma responsiveness following agonist stimulation. Thus, the selective proteasomal degradation of RXRalpha initiated by UCH-L1 upregulation modulates the relative affinity of PPARgamma heterodimers for SMRT and their responsiveness to PPARgamma agonists, ultimately activating the PPARgamma-controlled gene network in visceral WAT of obese animals and humans.

Insulin and Glucagon during the Perinatal Period: Secretion and Metabolic Effects on the Liver

Insulin and glucagon are detected in the plasma of most species early in gestation. In the fetus at term, insulin and glucagon secretion can be modified by long-term changes in glucose concentration but the responsiveness of A and B cells to glucose is lower than in the adult. The plasma insulin/glucagon molar ratio is high in the fetus at term, then decreases dramatically immediately after birth and remains low during the first hours of extrauterine life. This situation results in favored hepatic glycogen storage and prevented gluconeogenesis in utero, and sharp glycogen breakdown and active gluconeogenesis during the early postnatal period.

A specific β3-adrenoceptor agonist induces increased pancreatic islet blood flow and insulin secretion in rats

In order to study the role of beta 3-adrenoceptor stimulation on insulin secretion in rats, plasma insulin level and islet blood flow were measured during treatment with CL 316243 which is chemically named disodium (R,R)-5-[2-[[2,3-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-amino]propyl]-1, 3-benzodioxole-2,2-dicarboxylate, a specific beta 3-adrenoceptor agonist. CL 316243 induced a marked increase in both islet blood flow and plasma insulin concentration without changes in whole pancreatic blood flow. This increase was totally prevented when the rats were pretreated with bupranolol, a beta 1, beta 2, beta 3-adrenoceptor antagonist, but not with nadolol, a beta 1, beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist. We conclude that beta 3-adrenoceptor stimulation provokes a marked vasodilatation of microvessels in the islets of Langerhans, which in turn could contribute to the increase in insulin secretion.