( ing for an explanation and ultimately f...)Dragonfly's metabolic disease provides clues about human obesity

ing for an explanation and ultimately found many key differences between the tissues and performance of healthy dragonflies and parasite-infected dragonflies that match symptoms of metabolic syndrome in humans. One symptom involves the signaling molecule, p38 MAP kinase, a common indicator of stress response in humans and other animals. The signaling molecule was chronically activated in the flight muscles of parasite-infected dragonflies, but not in muscles from healthy dragonflies. Activation of p38 MAP kinase has been shown to be related to the development of insulin resistance and metabolic disease in humans. "What's more, we could induce this activation in muscles from healthy individuals by exposing them to excretory-secretory products obtained from the gregarine parasites," said Schilder.

The researchers also found that the muscles of parasite-infected dragonflies oxidized only carbohydrates instead of a carbohydrate-lipid mix. A common symptom of metabolic syndrome is that muscles metabolize fewer lipids. The researchers also found that unused lipids accumulated in the dragonflies' thorax. Humans with metabolic disease tend to accumulate fat around skeletal muscle tissue.

Marden and Schilder's experiments also found the hemolymph carbohydrate concentrations in parasite-infected dragonflies to be about double those of healthy dragonflies, and found insulin to have little effect on those concentrations. Insulin resistance is an abnormality associated with metabolic syndrome in humans. The researchers found the parasites rapidly caused effects in the dragonflies. Dragonflies that drank water containing trace amounts of excretory-secretory substances obtained from live parasites showed effects in two days. Abnormal blood glucose concentrations are a symptom of metabolic syndrome in humans. Marden and Schilder also concluded that insects may be useful models to understand more about metabolic disease in humans. Their work was su
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Source:Penn State

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