I'm really interested in how Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF) is integrated in insulin resistance (Type II diabetes) and the inflammatory response. This article discusses the link between insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes with TNF and other inflammatory proteins. Basically, TNF is released by a variety of tissues to include adipose tissue, which is concentrated in the obese. TNF works on the liver by promoting phosphorylation of the serine insulator substrate 1 and inhibits auto-phosphorylation of the tyrosine insulin receptor. This has been known to impair insulin signaling therefore resulting in insulin resistance i.e. type II diabetes. It was also interesting to see that TNF inhibitors have been used to treat insulin resistance but have proven unsuccessful...I wonder why? I think it's really interesting to see the biochemistry behind physiological mechanisms. To understand how a car works, you have to learn how the parts work. Good article. Enjoy:D
Inflammation: the link between insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes.
Dandona P, Aljada A, Bandyopadhyay A.
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2 comments:
Kimi,
Do you think there's an "order"here? Such as, does the inflammtion associated with obesity cause the metabolic syndrome (and higher levels of inflammation) and finally type 2 diabetes?
I think it could easily be a "which came first the chicken or the egg" situation. I think the inflammation from obesity is what eventually causing the diabetes. People don't become obese overnight. But eventually when someone becomes obese, there is an associated "risk" with developing type II diabetes. I have yet to personally hear of a case in which someone initially has type II diabetes and then has a risk of becoming obese so it only makes sense that the inflammation from the obesity eventually causes diabetes.
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