Departments of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.
Nutritional Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.
Adv Nutr. 2019 Jan 1;10(1):165-178. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmy059.
Obesity is a complex disease that is influenced by several factors, such as diet, physical activity, developmental stage, age, genes, and their interactions with the environment. Obesity develops as a result of expansion of fat mass when the intake of energy, stored as triglycerides, exceeds its expenditure. Approximately 40% of the US population suffers from obesity, which represents a worldwide public health problem associated with chronic low-grade adipose tissue and systemic inflammation (sterile inflammation), in part due to adipose tissue expansion. In patients with obesity, energy homeostasis is further impaired by inflammation, oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. These pathologic conditions increase the risk of developing other chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and certain forms of cancer. It is well documented that several bioactive compounds such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) are able to reduce adipose and systemic inflammation and blood triglycerides and, in some cases, improve glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in vertebrate animal models of obesity. A promising model organism that is gaining tremendous interest for studies of lipid and energy metabolism is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This roundworm stores fats as droplets within its hypodermal and intestinal cells. The nematode's transparent skin enables fat droplet visualization and quantification with the use of dyes that have affinity to lipids. This article provides a review of major research over the past several years on the use of C. elegans to study the effects of ω-3 PUFAs on lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis relative to metabolic diseases.
肥胖是一种复杂的疾病，受到多种因素的影响，如饮食、身体活动、发育阶段、年龄、基因，以及它们与环境的相互作用。肥胖是由于能量摄入（以甘油三酯的形式储存）超过其消耗时脂肪量的扩张而发展起来的。大约 40%的美国人口患有肥胖症，这是一个全球性的公共卫生问题，与慢性低度脂肪组织和全身炎症（无菌性炎症）有关，部分原因是脂肪组织的扩张。在肥胖患者中，炎症、氧化应激、血脂异常和代谢综合征进一步破坏了能量平衡。这些病理状况增加了患其他慢性疾病的风险，包括糖尿病、高血压、冠心病和某些类型的癌症。有大量文献记载，几种生物活性化合物，如ω-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（ω-3 PUFAs），能够减少脂肪和全身炎症以及血液中的甘油三酯，在某些情况下，还能改善肥胖脊椎动物模型的葡萄糖耐量和胰岛素抵抗。秀丽隐杆线虫是一种研究脂质和能量代谢的很有前途的模式生物，它正受到越来越多的关注。这种线虫将脂肪储存为其皮下和肠道细胞内的液滴。线虫透明的皮肤使我们能够使用对脂质具有亲和力的染料来可视化和定量脂肪滴。本文综述了过去几年利用秀丽隐杆线虫研究 ω-3 PUFAs 对脂质代谢和能量平衡相对于代谢疾病的影响的主要研究成果。
