MCT for Health

One of the main sensors of energy sufficiency in the cell, that is, a sufficient supply of ATP molecules, is the enzyme AMPK. It is activated whenever the amount of AMP molecules increases. But does it really work "every time"? An adequate energy supply for all cellular functions is so fundamental that we should ask whether certain substances can suppress this signaling. The cell then suffers from an energy deficit and enters various energy-conserving states, for example pseudohypoxia or cellular senescence , which is characterized by fermentative metabolism to reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS, such as hydrogen peroxide), but also by the shutdown of processes that repair damaged DNA ( which is a common occurrence caused, for example, by UV radiation or ionizing radiation ). So, do we know of any substances that block AMPK activity? Yes, we certainly do. One is the well-known autooxidation product of the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid, a molecule called...

The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and is known to normally reduce the need to eat. In obese individuals, however, this mechanism does not work properly. They have higher leptin levels yet still consume more food than necessary. This condition is called leptin resistance; the body simply does not respond to leptin's signal, the signal that sufficient fuel is stored in the body. It appears that this condition is closely linked to improper protein/enzyme folding and to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress), which is where enzymes are created and folded within the cell. What substances can trigger such stress? How about aldehydes formed by the autooxidation of linoleic acid? Could it be 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)? Would activating the enzyme that breaks down HNE, namely aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), help? Would this also work to reduce leptin resistance? Perhaps the most serious effect of the increased presence of the toxic aldehyde HNE, derived by the autooxidation of li...