Isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 protects mice from high-fat diet-induced metabolic stress by limiting oxidative damage to the mitochondria from brown adipose tissue

• Main Authors: Jae-Ho Lee, Younghoon Go, Do-Young Kim, Sun Hee Lee, Ok-Hee Kim, Yong Hyun Jeon, Taeg Kyu Kwon, Jae-Hoon Bae, Dae-Kyu Song, Im Joo Rhyu, In-Kyu Lee, Minho Shong, Byung-Chul Oh, Christopher Petucci, Jeen-Woo Park, Timothy F. Osborne, Seung-Soon Im
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2020-02-01
• Series: Experimental and Molecular Medicine
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-020-0379-z

Obesity: Possible protective enzyme identified An enzyme that limits the build-up of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in fat cells protects mice against metabolic stress during a high-fat diet. Calorie overload leads to high levels of damaging ROS in the mitochondria of brown fat cells. This can disrupt processes that regulate energy expenditure and glucose metabolism. A team led by Seung-Soon Im at Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea, and Timothy F. Osborne at Johns Hopkins University, St. Petersburg, USA, examined the role of an enzyme called isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), which is known to regulate the build-up of mitochondrial ROS. In mice fed a high-fat diet, those without IDH2 experienced accelerated weight gain, triggered by increased ROS levels and decreased mitochondrial function. A dose of an antioxidant in the diet reduced this effect, suggesting that patients with obesity may benefit from antioxidant supplements.