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Chromium levels in insulin-sensitive tissues and the thigh bone are modulated by prednisolone and high-fat diets in mice

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Abstract

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are often prescribed in clinics but many adverse effects are also attributed to GCs. It is important to determine the role of GCs in the development of those adverse effects. Here, we investigated the impact of GCs on trivalent chromium (Cr) distribution in animals. Cr has been proposed to be important for proper insulin sensitivity, and deficits may lead to disruption of metabolism. For comparison, the effect of a high-fat diet on Cr modulation was also evaluated. C57BL/6JNarl mice were fed regular or high-fat diets for 12 weeks and further grouped for treatment with prednisolone or saline. Cr levels in tissues were determined 12 h after the treatments. Interestingly, prednisolone treatment led to significantly reduced Cr levels in fat tissue in mice fed regular diets; compared to the high-fat diet alone, prednisolone plus the high-fat diet led to a further reduction in Cr levels in the liver, muscle, and fat. Notably, a single dose of prednisolone was linked with elevated Cr levels in the thigh bones of mice fed by either regular or high-fat diets. In conclusion, this report has provided evidence that prednisolone in combination with a high-fat diet effects modulation of Cr levels in selected tissues.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the National Science Council (grants NSC100-2320-B-562-001 and NSC 100-2313-B-562-001) and the Ministry of Education (Taiwan) under the ATU plan, and also supported by a Grant from St. Mary’s Medicine, Nursing and Management College (SMC100-I-14).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, St. Mary’s Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Yilan, Taiwan, ROC

    Po-Wen Chen

  2. Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC

    Chang Lin, Chung-De Chen, Wen-Ying Chen & Frank Chiahung Mao

  3. Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC

    Chang Lin, Chung-De Chen, Wen-Ying Chen & Frank Chiahung Mao

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  1. Po-Wen Chen
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  2. Chang Lin
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  3. Chung-De Chen
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Correspondence to Frank Chiahung Mao.

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Chen, PW., Lin, C., Chen, CD. et al. Chromium levels in insulin-sensitive tissues and the thigh bone are modulated by prednisolone and high-fat diets in mice. Biometals 26, 347–354 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-013-9621-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-013-9621-7

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