Hairless (Hr) Deficiency Mitigates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Mice.
Hongwei WangHaoyu GuoKuicheng ZhuLong HeJian-Jun YangPublished in: Advanced biology (2024)
Obesity is a significant global health concern linked to excessive dietary energy intake. This research focuses on the mammalian hairless protein (HR), known for its role in skin and hair function, and its impact on metabolism. Examining male wild-type (Hr +/+ ) and Hr null (Hr -/- ) mice over a 14-week normal chow diet (NCD) or high-fat diet (HFD) intervention. This study reveals that HR deficiency exhibited a protective effect against HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. This protective effect is attributed to increased energy expenditure in Hr -/- mice. Moreover, the brown adipose tissue (BAT) of Hr -/- mice displays elevated levels of the thermogenic protein, uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1), and its key transcriptional regulators (PPARγ and PGC1α), compared to Hr +/+ mice. In summary, the findings underscore the protective role of HR deficiency in countering HFD-induced adiposity by enhancing insulin sensitivity, raising energy expenditure, and augmenting thermogenic factors in BAT. Further exploration of HR metabolic regulation holds promise for potential therapeutic targets in addressing obesity-related metabolic disorders.
Keyphrases
- high fat diet induced
- insulin resistance
- high fat diet
- adipose tissue
- skeletal muscle
- metabolic syndrome
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- type diabetes
- global health
- public health
- high glucose
- randomized controlled trial
- glycemic control
- weight loss
- gene expression
- endothelial cells
- weight gain
- study protocol
- nitric oxide
- physical activity
- heat shock
- nitric oxide synthase
- stress induced
- small molecule
- wound healing
- soft tissue