News Finding: The researchers were able to successfully demonstrate through decreased adiposity and an improved metabolic profile the therapeutic potential of targeting NaKtide to the adipocytes.
Paper Finding: Our results showed that PGC1α levels, the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and adaptive thermogenesis 36 , increased upon adipocyte-targeted NaKtide expression.
News Context: The basis of the research examined more closely the role of the adipocyte in obesity, including how it impacts oxidative stress, inflammation, neurodegeneration and NASH. The researchers were able to successfully demonstrate through decreased adiposity and an improved metabolic profile the therapeutic potential of targeting NaKtide to the adipocytes. "Our data clearly suggests that obesity and the Na/K-ATPase oxidant amplification loop plays a role in neurodegeneration," said first author Rebecca Pratt, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of biomedical research at Marshall University.
Paper Context: This highlights the importance of the Na/K-ATPase oxidant amplification loop within the adipocyte as well as the importance of adipocyte biology itself. Our results showed that PGC1α levels, the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and adaptive thermogenesis 36 , increased upon adipocyte-targeted NaKtide expression. Furthermore, the expression of genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis and "browning" of fat, including MFN1, MFN2, and SIRT1, were increased by NaKtide treatment.