Dim Light at Night Disturbs Molecular Pathways of Lipid Metabolism
Department of Animal Physiology and Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovicova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(18), 6919; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186919
Received: 9 September 2020
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Revised: 17 September 2020
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Accepted: 19 September 2020
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Published: 21 September 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on Light's Effects on Animals and Humans)
Dim light at night (dLAN) is associated with metabolic risk but the specific effects on lipid metabolism have only been evaluated to a limited extent. Therefore, to explore whether dLAN can compromise lipid metabolic homeostasis in healthy individuals, we exposed Wistar rats to dLAN (~2 lx) for 2 and 5 weeks and analyzed the main lipogenic pathways in the liver and epididymal fat pad, including the control mechanisms at the hormonal and molecular level. We found that dLAN promoted hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation, upregulated hepatic genes involved in de novo synthesis of fatty acids, and elevated glucose and fatty acid uptake. These observations were paralleled with suppressed fatty acid synthesis in the adipose tissue and altered plasma adipokine levels, indicating disturbed adipocyte metabolic function with a potential negative impact on liver metabolism. Moreover, dLAN-exposed rats displayed an elevated expression of two peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor family members (Pparα and Pparγ) in the liver and adipose tissue, suggesting the deregulation of important metabolic transcription factors. Together, our results demonstrate that an impaired balance of lipid biosynthetic pathways caused by dLAN can increase lipid storage in the liver, thereby accounting for a potential linking mechanism between dLAN and metabolic diseases.
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Keywords:
chronodisruption; liver; steatosis; lipogenesis; fatty acids; glucose; insulin; leptin; nuclear receptors; circadian clocks
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MDPI and ACS Style
Okuliarova, M.; Rumanova, V.S.; Stebelova, K.; Zeman, M. Dim Light at Night Disturbs Molecular Pathways of Lipid Metabolism. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 6919. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186919
AMA Style
Okuliarova M, Rumanova VS, Stebelova K, Zeman M. Dim Light at Night Disturbs Molecular Pathways of Lipid Metabolism. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020; 21(18):6919. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186919
Chicago/Turabian StyleOkuliarova, Monika, Valentina Sophia Rumanova, Katarina Stebelova, and Michal Zeman. 2020. "Dim Light at Night Disturbs Molecular Pathways of Lipid Metabolism" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21, no. 18: 6919. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186919
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