Endocrinology Grand Rounds

SPEAKER: Benjamin Renquist, PhD. Assistant Professor, Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona.

TOPIC: "Hepatic Lipids: Hyperinsulinemia, Insulin Resistance, and Hypertension"

The rising incidence of obesity is accompanied by an increased prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.  Fatty liver is a causative factor in the metabolic syndrome.  Accordingly, the degree of liver fat accumulation is directly related to the incidence and severity of insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertension. The Renquist lab has developed unique mouse and experimental models to understand the mechanism linking hepatic lipid accumulation to these pathophysiologies of obesity.  Data from our lab shows that pharmacologically mimicking the effects of lipid accumulation in hepatocytes inhibits activity of the hepatic afferent vagal nerve, raises serum insulin, induces insulin resistance, and increases blood pressure.  We propose that understanding the mechanism linking hepatic lipid accumulation to metabolic syndrome will allow for therapeutic approaches that target the causative signal.