Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Leucine On Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Cell Cycle In A-375 Melanoma Cells, Tia Marie Filhiol

Masters Theses

Most cancer cells undergo the Warburg effect, a shift from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism accompanied by suppression of p53. We have demonstrated leucine stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, and p53 expression in both muscle and fat cells. Accordingly, we now sought to determine if leucine stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis and exit from cell cycle in A-375 melanoma cells. Because these cells use glucose as their primary substrate, cells were grown under both standard (11.1 mM) and reduced (5.5 mM) glucose conditions. Increasing glucose reduced mitochondrial mass 50-60%, and accelerated cell proliferation by ~20%. Leucine (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 …

Role Of Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (Hmb) In Leucine Stimulation Of Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Fatty Acid Oxidation, Renee Ashley Stancliffe

Masters Theses

Mitochondrial dysfunction and the resulting oxidative stress is widely recognized as a contributing factor to the development of numerous pathophysiologies including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, liver disease, dementia, amongst others. Mitochondrial dysfunction results in a reduced mitochondrial number and oxidative capacity, causing an increase in free radical production and consequently oxidative stress. As such, the characterization of compounds that can upregulate mitochondrial biogenesis and function could provide the foundation for the development of therapeutic nutraceuticals that promote mitochondrial health, and consequently reduce oxidative stress. Leucine is well recognized to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, and we have recently demonstrated that …

Effects Of Folate Availability On Expression Of Adipocyte Metabolic Genes Via Modulation Of Dna Methylation, Julia Stair Gouffon

Doctoral Dissertations

Epigenetic modifications serve as a means of intermediate gene expression control and nutritional inputs may modify methylation patterns in regulatory regions of genes. Therefore, we proposed that specific nutrient availability of folate affects adipocyte development and metabolism through impacting the one-carbon cycle and subsequent DNA methylation patterns. Accordingly, we sought to determine if the methylation level of CpG islands could be influenced in adipocytes and if so, how this might affect gene signaling in mature adipocytes. We treated adipocytes with 0 to 0.9 millimolar [mM] folate, the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and the methylation inhibitor, 5-aza-2-deoxycitidine (2-DC) both during adipocyte …

The Mother-Infant Dyad Study: A Grounded Theory Inquiry Into The Day-To-Day Experiences, Between First-Time Mothers And Their Infants, That Influence Feeding Practices, Jennifer Jean Helvey

Masters Theses

Background: Inappropriate infant-feeding practices linked to excessive, rapid, early weight gain, are potentially powerful intervention points for reducing risk of later obesity. Understanding how and why these behaviors begin is currently the topic of much research. Because breastfeeding has been found to be somewhat protective against early rapid gain, and because low-income, Southeastern U.S. populations are significantly less likely to initiate and maintain breastfeeding, it is critical to focus efforts in these populations. Grounded theory methodology provides the optimal theoretical underpinnings for exploring development of these practices.

Research Objective: The objective was to explore, using grounded theory methodology, the set …

Angiotensinogen Gene Silencing Reduces Lipid Accumulation And Inflammation In Cultured 3t3-L1 Adipocytes, Wenting Xin Carroll

Masters Theses

Obesity is characterized by metabolic complications which are related to several life-threatening diseases. Dysregulated inflammatory adipokines secretion from adipose tissue is believed as the major contributor to obesity-associated local and systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and other metabolic dysfunctions.

Numerous studies in our lab and others pointed to the role of local adipose tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the pathogenesis of obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. We hypothesized that adipocytes-derived angiotensinogen (Agt) played a critical role in adipogenesis and/or lipogenesis as well as adipose inflammation. To test, we established 3T3-L1 preadipocytes stably transfected with Agt-shRNA or scrambled sequence (Sc-shRNA). Transfected preadipocytes …

The Relationship Between Coping, Stress, And Breastfeeding Outcomes, Angela Nicole Sberna

Masters Theses

Background: Breastfeeding is the optimal form of nutrition for infants in their first year of life. While the benefits of breastfeeding are numerous, national rates remain below professional recommendations. Multiple barriers to breastfeeding have been identified, including various sociodemographic, psychosocial, and biomedical and health-carerelated barriers. Maternal stress may be another barrier, as it has been previously associated with breastfeeding outcomes. Coping strategies are used to manage the demands of a stressful environment and can be categorized as problem- or emotion-focused. Emotion regulation emerged from the coping literature, but describes a unique set of techniques that affect the emotion-generating process. Social …

Social Marketing: Impact On Elementary School Students' Selection And Consumption Of Salad Bar Food Items, Whitney Jordan Merola

Masters Theses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of social marketing campaign (SMC) aimed at increasing selection and consumption of fruit and vegetable (FV) salad bar items among 3^rd-5^th grade students in an elementary school setting. Specifically, providing a detailed account of the formative, process, and impact evaluation methods used to evaluate the campaign and its impact on desired changes in behavior. Outcome measures were increases in the selection and consumption of FV salad bar items and changes in mean FV eaten, liking, and preference scores from baseline to post-implementation of the SMC. Formative …

The Effects Of Leucine On Fatty Acid Oxidation In Chronically Active Males, Ciara Diane Csanadi

Masters Theses

Leucine is a branched-chain amino acid that is known to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and prevent muscle protein degradation (22). However, the effects of leucine on fat oxidation are still being determined. Thus, we investigated the effect of leucine on fat oxidation in chronically active males, following a similar study conducted by our laboratory on leucine and fat oxidation in sedentary, overweight subjects. Participants in this study were males, ages 25-55 years old, with BMI values of 18.5-27 kg/m², and participated in >180 minutes/week of vigorous-intensity physical activity. Participants were randomized to receive either a leucine-supplemented beverage or …