title: Regulation of visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor by nutritional status, metformin, gender and pituitary factors in rat white adipose tissue.
abstract: Visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin) is a recently discovered adipocytokine mainly secreted from visceral adipose tissue, which plays a main role in insulin sensitivity. In this study, we have investigated the regulation of vaspin gene expression in rat white adipose tissue (WAT) in different physiological (nutritional status, pregnancy, age and gender) and pathophysiological (gonadectomy, thyroid status and growth hormone deficiency) settings known to be associated with energy homeostasis and alterations in insulin sensitivity. We have determined vaspin gene expression by real-time PCR. Vaspin was decreased after fasting and its levels were partially recovered after leptin treatment. Chronic treatment with metformin increased vaspin gene expression. Vaspin mRNA expression reached the highest peak at 45 days in both sexes after birth and its expression was higher in females than males, but its levels did not change throughout pregnancy. Finally, decreased levels of growth hormone and thyroid hormones suppressed vaspin expression. These findings suggest that WAT vaspin mRNA expression is regulated by nutritional status, and leptin seems to be the nutrient signal responsible for those changes. Vaspin is influenced by age and gender, and its expression is increased after treatment with insulin sensitizers. Finally, alterations in pituitary functions modify vaspin levels. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating vaspin will provide new insights into the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela and CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBERobn), S. Francisco s/n, 15782, Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña), Spain.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Caminos
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Garcés
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Cepeda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angel
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: García-Rendueles
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sangiao-Alvarellos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nogueiras
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diéguez
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000201:enzymology*; D008687:Metformin / Q000378:metabolism*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors; D008687:Metformin