Narrow your search

Library

KU Leuven (5)

KBR (1)


Resource type

dissertation (5)


Language

English (4)

Dutch (1)


Year
From To Submit

2020 (1)

2017 (1)

2016 (1)

2008 (1)

2003 (1)

Listing 1 - 5 of 5
Sort by

Dissertation
Karakterisatie van kandidaatgenen voor primaire ciliaire dyskinesie en heterotaxie

Loading...
Export citation

Choose an application

Bookmark

Abstract

Keywords


Dissertation
Role of metalloproteinases in adipogenesis and obesity
Authors: --- --- ---
Year: 2016 Publisher: Leuven KU Leuven. Faculty of Medicine

Loading...
Export citation

Choose an application

Bookmark

Abstract

Obesity has become a major health problem for modern Western-type societies. The worldwide prevalence of obesity has doubled since the 1980’s and today over 600 million adults are obese. Moreover, obesity is associated with the development of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and fatty liver disease. This presents a heavy burden to the health care sector and has major economical consequences. However, efficient therapies to achieve metabolic health are not readily available.Adipose tissue has played an essential role in the adaptation of humans during evolution, i.e to food scarcity and cold. On the one hand, white adipose tissue is programmed to store excess energy in the form of triglycerides. On the other hand, brown adipose tissue efficiently burns energy to produce heat (thermogenesis). Over the last decade a third type of adipocyte was identified, namely the beige adipocyte. This adipocyte is mainly found in subcutaneous adipose tissue and is bi-functional, meaning that it can adapt to energy storage or to thermogenesis, depending on the metabolic need. A good understanding of adipose tissue biology is necessary for the development of new therapeutic strategies against obesity. Adipose tissue expansion consists of hypertrophy (existing adipocytes increase in volume), hyperplasia (new adipocytes arise from precursor cells), angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. The metalloproteinase family is involved in all of these processes. This superfamily can be further divided into several subfamilies including the MMP (matrix metalloproteinases) family. A potential role for MMP-2 and MMP-9 was reported in obesity, although many discrepant results were presented. In the present study, we further investigated the specific roles of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in adipogenesis in vitro. Therefore, we used established in vitro models:- murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) derived from wild-type and gene deficient mice were stimulated towards adipogenic differentiation.- 3T3-F442A preadipocytes were differentiated into mature adipocytes, while MMP levels were modulated by genetic knockdown (shRNA-mediated) or overexpression.In agreement with diet studies performed on mice with genetic deficiencies, we demonstrated that MMP-2 but not MMP-9 is an important player in preadipocyte differentiation.Another subfamily of the metalloproteinases is the ADAMTS (A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motifs) family. Relatively little is known on the role of this subfamily in adipose tissue development, although it has been reported that several members, including ADAMTS5, are upregulated in adipose tissue of obese mice. We studied the effects of ADAMTS5 on adipogenesis both in vitro and in vivo, and on adipose tissue development in nutritionally-induced obesity in mice. Using 3T3-F442A cells and MEFs, we demonstrated that ADAMTS5 promotes adipogenesis in vitro, and also stimulates de novo adipogenesis in vivo. Moreover, mice with genetic ADAMTS5 deficiency, kept on a high fat diet, developed less visceral adipose tissue mass and were protected against liver steatosis. This hepatic phenotype appears to be due to reduced uptake of triglycerides from the circulation into the liver, thereby protecting liver integrity. It is tempting to speculate that neutralization of ADAMTS5 may protect against diet-induced steatohepatitis.Surprisingly, we also observed an increased mass of brown adipose tissue in ADAMTS5 deficient mice. Moreover, in subcutaneous white adipose tissue of ADAMTS5 deficient as compared to wild-type mice, more beige adipocytes were observed (also known as ‘browning’). The brown adipose tissue was shown to be metabolically active, but only small differences in heat production and energy expenditure were observed, without significant effects of ADAMTS deficiency on total body weight. Furthermore, browning of white adipose tissue was strongly enhanced upon exposure to cold, a known stimulator. These findings indicate that ADAMTS5 plays an important functional role in development of white and brown adipose tissue. It remains to be shown whether neutralization of ADAMTS5 is a viable strategy to enhance thermogenesis and to reduce obesity.

Keywords


Dissertation
Carbohydrates: friend or foe of obesity and its metabolic complications?
Authors: --- ---
Year: 2020 Publisher: Leuven KU Leuven. Faculty of Medicine

Loading...
Export citation

Choose an application

Bookmark

Abstract

With more than 650 million patients worldwide and a prevalence that will only increase further, obesity has become one of the biggest health-threats of the 21st century. Obesity is such a big problem because it induces a systemic inflammation that causes a lot of co-morbidities including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The biggest risk factor for obesity and obesity-associated inflammation is a western diet, high in fat and carbohydrates. However, the exact role of carbohydrates or fats in this inflammation, is not known yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of macronutrient composition on obesity and its complications in a murine model.Male, C57BL/6JRj mice were fed a diet high in fat, sucrose, fructose, sucrose and fructose, starch, a western diet or a control diet during 15 weeks. We demonstrated that a sucrose-rich- and high-starch diet induced less obesity, a better metabolic profile, less adipose tissue (AT) inflammation and better intestinal integrity than a western diet.Based on these data, we performed an intervention study to reduce the metabolic risk after mice were already obese. To this end, obese mice were put on (i) a caloric restriction (CR), (ii) change of diet composition and/or (iii) prebiotic supplementation. (i) To investigate whether there is a diet-dependent effect upon CR, mice wer subjected to a CR of 30% on either a western diet, a sucrose-rich diet or a high-starch diet. CR induced weight loss and decreased both metabolic abnormalities and AT- inflammation, regardless of macronutrient composition. (ii) Even without CR, switching obese mice to a sucrose-rich diet induced weight loss and decreased AT-inflammation and metabolic aberrations. (iii) Strikingly, prebiotic supplementation did not exert any beneficial effects.In conclusion, we demonstrated that a sucrose-rich or high-starch diet induces less obesity and obesity-associated complications. Moreover, switching obese mice to a sucrose-rich diet elicits weight loss and decreases obesity-induced metabolic complications, highlighting the potential of carbohydrates to treat obesity.

Keywords


Dissertation
ADAMTS13 Deficiency and Obesity as Risk Factors for Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Authors: --- --- ---
Year: 2017 Publisher: Leuven KU Leuven. Faculty of Medicine

Loading...
Export citation

Choose an application

Bookmark

Abstract

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a life-threatening disease caused by dysfunction or absence of ADAMTS13 (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin type one motif, member 13), which cleaves prothrombotic ultralarge von Willebrand factor multimers (UL-VWF), thereby preventing the formation of platelet-rich microthrombi that block capillaries and arterioles, which leads to organ failure and death. Concerning the Oklahoma TTP-HUS registry, the annual incidence of TTP is 4 to 11 cases/million. This rare disease is mainly characterized by severe thrombocytopenia and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, but other symptoms like fever and neurological dysfunctions are also observed (1). Acute TTP episodes are often triggered by secondary events like pregnancy, alcohol abuse, infections or surgery (2). A positive correlation was established between ADAMTS13 levels and body mass index (BMI) in humans (3). This is in agreement with higher expression levels of ADAMTS13 observed in livers of obese mice (4). Therefore, obesity would not be expected to be a risk factor for TTP, since it is associated with higher levels of the VWF-cleaving protease ADAMTS13. Moreover, ADAMTS13 has anti-inflammatory properties (5), whereas obesity is a state of low-grade chronic inflammation (6). Nevertheless, it was suggested that obesity might be a trigger for acute TTP episodes in humans, regardless of their initial ADAMTS13 activity levels. Indeed, in patients with a BMI > 30, obesity was identified as a potential inducer of acute TTP (7). Furthermore, in a population of TTP patients, more than 25% was found to be morbidly obese (BMI > 40) (8). We have addressed this apparent paradox by using a TTP model in obese Adamts13 deficient mice.

Keywords


Dissertation
Role of the fibrinolytic and matrix metalloproteinase systems in adipogenesis.

Loading...
Export citation

Choose an application

Bookmark

Abstract

Overgewicht en zwaarlijvigheid (obesitas) worden een steeds groter probleem in onze Westerse samenleving en gaan gepaard met een verhoogd risico op levensbedreigende aandoeningen. Bij de ontwikkeling van obesitas zijn zowel adipogenetische (vetcel vorming) als angiogenetische (bloedvat vorming) processen betrokken waarbij een hermodelering van de extracellulaire matrix nodig is. Het doel van dit project was de studie van de rol in deze processen van twee proteolytische systemen, namelijk het fibrinolytisch (plasminogeen/plasmine) en matrix metalloproteïnase (MMP) systeem. Hierbij werd vooral aandacht besteed aan de fysiologische inhibitoren van beide systemen, namelijk plasminogeen activator inhibitoren (PAI-1 en PAI-2) en weefsel inhibitor van MMPs-1 (TIMP-1). De voornaamste doelstellingen van dit project waren: de rol van beide proteolytische systemen bestuderen in de vroege stadia van adipogenese en in de ontwikkeling van vetweefsel bij nutritioneel geïnduceerde obesitas bij de muis. In het eerste hoofdstuk van de resultaten beschrijven we de zoektocht naar de rol van murien PAI-1 (mPAI-1) in in vitro en in vivo adipogenese. We hebben, in vitro, geen functionele rol kunnen aantonen daar: 1) de differentiatie van muriene embryonale stam (ES) cellen al dan niet met PAI-1 overexpressie geen verschil vertoonde; 2) de mate van differentiatie tot adipocyten van primaire muriene embryonale fibroblasten afgeleid van wild-type (WT) of PAI-1 deficiënte muizen niet significant verschillend bleek; 3) differentiatie van 3T3-F442A preadipocyten niet veranderd was na behandeling met een mPAI-1 neutraliserend monoclonaal antilichaam (H4B3); 4) differentiatie van dezelfde cellen niet beïnvloed werd door stabiele overexpressie van mPAI-1. In vivo hebben we een concentratie afhankelijk effect van PAI-1 op bloedvatvorming en vetweefselontwikkeling vastgesteld, hetgeen bleek uit: 1) neutralisatie van PAI-1 in een model van de novo adipogenese waarbij 3T3-F442A preadipocyten onderhuids geinjecteerd werden in de rug van naakte Balb/c muizen (die vervolgens gedurende 4 weken een vetrijk dieet kregen) resulteerde in kleinere vetcellen; 2) vetweefselontwikkeling was vergelijkbaar na injectie van matrigel en fibroblast groeifactor in WT en PAI-1 deficiënte muizen; 3) locale overexpressie van PAI-1 in een gelijkaardig model van de novo adipogenese resulteerde in grotere vetkussentjes en 4) systemische overexpressie van PAI-1 in dergelijk de novo adipogenese model was geassocieerd met kleinere bloedvaten in het vetweefsel. Vervolgens werd de rol van PAI-2 in adipogenese bestudeerd. PAI-2 bleek tot expressie te komen tijdens in vitro differentiatie van preadipocyten en in vivo in zowel subcutaan als gonadaal vetweefsel. PAI-2 deficiënte muizen op vetrijk dieet ontwikkelden minder vetweefsel en kleinere vetcellen dan wild-type controles, via een mechanisme onafhankelijk van de antifibrinolytische activiteit van PAI-2. Tenslotte werd de rol van TIMP-1 in adipogenese zowel in vitro als in vivo bestudeerd. In vitro leverde de zoektocht naar de rol van TIMP-1 bij adipocyt differentiatie tegenstrijdige resultaten op daar: 1) de mate van differentiatie tot adipocyten van primaire muriene embryonale fibroblasten afgeleid van TIMP-1 deficiënte muizen, lager bleek in vergelijking met WT fibroblasten; 2) differentiatie van 3T3-F442A preadipocyten met overexpressie van humaan TIMP-1 (hTIMP-1) trager verliep, maar vergelijkbaar was met controle cellen. In vivo was het effect van locale en systemische expressie van hTIMP-1 tijdens de novo adipogenese verschillend, met een beduidend effect op angiogenese, daar: 1) locale expressie resulteerde in grotere bloedvaten en 2) systemische overexpressie resulteerde in vetkussentjes met grotere vetcellen en een kleinere bloedvat densiteit. Uit deze studies kunnen we dus besluiten dat het effect van deze protease inhibitoren op in vitro differentiatie van preadipocyten naar mature adipocyten niet in alle condities overeenstemt met de effecten op vetweefselvorming in vivo. De in vivo effecten blijken afhankelijk van zowel concentratie als verdeling in plaats en tijd. Obesity is a common disorder and constitutes a risk factor for many diseases making it a major cause of mortality and morbidity in Western-type societies. Development of obesity is associated with extensive modifications in adipose tissue, involving adipogenesis, angiogenesis and extracellular matrix proteolysis. The fibrinolytic (plasminogen/plasmin) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) systems cooperate in these processes. In this study we focused on the role of plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAI-1 and PAI-2) and tissue inhibitor of MMPs type 1 (TIMP-1) in adipocyte differentiation in vitro and in vivo. To substantiate a potential role of PAI-1 in adipogenesis, we have studied its effects on in vitro adipocyte differentiation and on in vivo adipose tissue formation in mouse models. Our in vitro data do not support a functional role of PAI-1, as substantiated by our findings that: 1) embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation into adipocytes was comparable for murine PAI-1 (mPAI-1) overexpressing cells and wild-type (WT) cells; 2) inhibition of PAI-1 with a neutralizing antibody did not affect differentiation of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes; 3) overexpression of murine PAI-1 in 3T3-F442A cells had no effect on differentiation; and 4) differentiation of PAI-1 deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts into mature adipocytes was comparable to WT cells. Furthermore, our in vivo studies revealed a concentration dependent effect of PAI-1 on adipogenesis and angiogenesis, as suggested by our findings that: 1) de novo fat pad formation in NUDE mice following injection of 3T3-F442A cells resulted in smaller adipocytes in mice treated with a PAI-1 neutralizing antibody; 2) adipose tissue formation following combined injection of Matrigel and basic fibroblast growth factor was comparable in WT and in PAI-1 deficient mice; 3) local expression of mPAI-1 resulted in larger fat pads; and 4) systemic mPAI-1 expression had no effect on de novo adipogenesis, although angiogenesis appeared to be impaired. Next, we have demonstrated PAI-2 mRNA in subcutaneous (SC) and gonadal (GON) adipose tissues of WT mice, with expression both in adipocytes and in the stromal-vascular cell fraction. As compared to WT mice, PAI-2 deficient mice kept on high fat diet displayed significant adipocyte hypotrophy in SC adipose tissues, but less in GON adipose tissues. In agreement with this finding, SC fat mass and the combined weight of SC and GON fat were significantly smaller in obese PAI-2 deficient mice than in WT mice. PAI-2 appeared to promote adipose tissue development in mice via a mechanism independent of its antifibrinolytic effect. Finally, we have evaluated a potential functional role of TIMP-1, which inhibits most MMPs, in in vitro and in vivo adipogenesis. In vitro, apparently conflicting data were obtained in different cell types, as substantiated by our findings that: 1) differentiation of TIMP-1 deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts into mature adipocytes was impaired as compared to WT cells; 2) overexpression of human TIMP-1 (hTIMP-1) in 3T3-F442A preadipocytes also resulted in a slower differentiation as compared to control cells. In vivo, local or systemic hTIMP-1 overexpression did not significantly affect the extent of de novo adipose tissue formation, although the effect on angiogenesis in the de novo fat pads appeared to be different, as: 1) local expression of hTIMP-1 resulted in larger blood vessels; 2) systemic hTIMP-1 expression revealed a lower blood vessel density and larger adipocytes as compared to control mice. We conclude that the effect of these proteinase inhibitors on in vitro differentiation of preadipocytes into mature adipocytes does not in all conditions mimic the effect on adipose tissue development in vivo. The effect in vivo seems to be dependent on the concentration as well as on the spatial and temporal distributions. Overgewicht en zwaarlijvigheid worden groter probleem in onze Westerse samenleving. Bij de ontwikkeling van zwaarlijvigheid (obesitas) zijn zowel vetcel-vormende als bloedvat-vormende processen betrokken waarbij een wijziging van de extracellulaire matrix (matrix rondom de cellen) nodig is. Het doel van dit project is de studie van de rol van proteolytische systemen in vetweefselontwikkeling, namelijk het fibrinolytisch en matrix metalloproteïnase systeem. Deze systemen spelen een belangrijke rol in respectievelijk het afbreken van fibrine of van extracellulaire matrix. Hierbij wordt vooral aandacht besteed aan de remmers (fysiologische inhibitoren) van beide systemen, namelijk plasminogeen activator inhibitoren (PAI-1 en PAI-2) en weefsel inhibitor van MMPs- 1 (TIMP-1); hun effect wordt bestudeerd op de vroege stadia van vetcelontwikkeling en hun rol bij voedingsgeïnduceerde obesitas in de muis. Uit deze studies blijkt dat PAI-1 een concentratie afhankelijk effect heeft op nieuwe vetvorming. Eveneens werd aangetoond dat PAI-2 aanwezig is in vetweefsel en dat het vetweefselontwikkeling stimuleert. Ten slotte, blijkt TIMP-1 geen invloed te hebben op nieuwe vetvorming, al werd wel een effect op de bloedvatvorming in het vetweefsel vastgesteld.

Listing 1 - 5 of 5
Sort by