Martin Jakab

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated if mixtures of the phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C12:0 PC; DLPC) and 1,2-diarachidoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C20:0 PC; DAPC), which differ by eight methylene groups in acyl chain length, lead to the spontaneous formation of distinct lipid rafts and asymmetric bilayers. METHODS: The experiments were performed using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). RESULTS: We show that DLPC and DAPC mixed at a molar ratio of 1:1 lead to the formation of single, double and triple bilayers with peaks at 6.14 ± 0.11, 13.27 ± 0.17 and 20.54 ± 0.46 nm, respectively (n=750). Within these formations discrete height steps of 0.92 nm can be resolved (n=422). CONCLUSION: The most frequently observed height steps value of 0.92 nm matches best with the calculated mean lipid hydrophobic thickness difference for asymmetric C12:0 PC and C20:0 PC lipid bilayers of 0.88 nm. This indicates the ability of DLPC and DAPC to form asymmetric lipid bilayers.

Cell volume alterations are involved in numerous cellular events like epithelial transport, metabolic processes, hormone secretion, cell migration, proliferation and apoptosis. Above all it is a need for every cell to counteract osmotic cell swelling in order to avoid cell damage. The defence against excess cell swelling is accomplished by a reduction of the intracellular osmolarity by release of organic- or inorganic osmolytes from the cell or by synthesis of osmotically less active macromolecules from their specific subunits. De-spite the large amount of experimental data that has accumulated, the intracellular mechanisms underlying the sensing of cell volume perturbations and the activation of volume compensatory processes, commonly summarized as regulatory volume decrease (RVD), are still only partly revealed. Moving into this field opens a complex scenario of molecular rearrangements and interactions involving intracellular messengers such as calcium, phosphoinositides and inositolphosphates as well as phosphoryla-tion/dephosphorylation processes and cytoskeletal reorganization with marked cell type- and tissue specific variations. Even in one and the same cell type significant differences regarding the activated pathways during RVD may be evident. This makes it virtually im-possible to unambigously define common sensing- and sinaling pathways used by differ-ent cells to readjust their celll volume, even if all these pathways converge to the activa-tion of comparatively few sets of effectors serving for osmolyte extrusion, including ion channels and transporters. This review is aimed at providing an insight into the manifold cellular mechanisms and alterations occuring during cell swelling and RVD.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previously we described insulinotropic effects of Leonurus sibiricus L. plant extracts used for diabetes mellitus treatment in Traditional Mongolian Medicine. The flavonoid quercetin and its glycoside rutin, which exert anti-diabetic properties in vivo by interfering with insulin signaling in peripheral target tissues, are constituents of these extracts. This study was performed to better understand short- and long-term effects of quercetin and rutin on beta-cells. METHODS: Cell viability, apoptosis, phospho-protein abundance and insulin release were determined using resazurin, annexin-V binding assays, Western blot and ELISA, respectively. Membrane potentials (Vmem), whole-cell Ca2+ (ICa)- and ATP-sensitive K+ (IKATP) currents were measured by patch clamp. Intracellular Ca2+ (Cai) levels were measured by time-lapse imaging using the ratiometric Ca2+ indicator Fura-2. RESULTS: Rutin, quercetin and the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 caused a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability with IC50 values of ∼75 µM, ∼25 µM and ∼3.5 µM, respectively. Quercetin (50 µM) significantly increased the percentage of Annexin-V+ cells within 48 hrs. The mean cell volume (MCV) of quercetin-treated cells was significantly lower. Within 2 hrs, quercetin significantly decreased basal- and insulin-stimulated Akt(T308) phosphorylation and increased Erk1/2 phosphorylation, without affecting P-Akt(S473) abundance. Basal- and glucose-stimulated insulin release were significantly stimulated by quercetin. Quercetin significantly depolarized Vmem by ∼25 mV which was prevented by the KATP-channel opener diazoxide, but not by the L-type ICa inhibitor nifedipine. Quercetin significantly stimulated ICa and caused a 50% inhibition of IKATP. The effects on Vmem, ICa and IKATP rapidly reached peak values and then gradually diminished to control values within ∼1 minute. With a similar time-response quercetin induced an elevation in Cai which was completely abolished in the absence of Ca2+ in the bath solution. Rutin (50 µM) did not significantly alter the percentage of Annexin-V+ cells, MCV, Akt or Erk1/2 phosphorylation, insulin secretion, or the electrophysiological behavior of INS-1 cells. CONCLUSION: We conclude that quercetin acutely stimulates insulin release, presumably by transient KATP channel inhibition and ICa stimulation. Long term application of quercetin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis, most likely by inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling.