FIG. 1.

Effects of adenoviral DN-p38MAPKα overexpression in the liver, on insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance in obese mice models. A: The levels of hepatic p38MAPKα (p38), p-p38MAPK (p-p38), and α-tubulin were assessed in C57/BL6 (C57) mice fed with standard diet or HFD and in ob/ob mice, using Western blot analysis. Quantification of p-p38 and p38 immunoblots was performed using ImageJ analysis. Results are expressed as p-p38 relative to p38 in control (n = 5) and HFD (n = 5) mice or in control (n = 3) and ob/ob (n = 3) mice and are presented as the means ± SE. B: ob/ob mice were injected with β-gal (n = 6) or DN-p38α (n = 6) adenoviral constructs via tail vein. Levels of p38α, p-p38, or α-tubulin in the liver were assessed using Western blot analysis. Quantification of immunoblots was performed using ImageJ analysis. The results are expressed as p-p38 or p38 relative to the loading control (α-tubulin) and are presented as the means ± SE. C: IPGTT was performed 5 days after adenovirus injection, after a 6-h fast. The area under the curve (AUC) was estimated by summing the numerical integration values of successive linear segments of the glucose curve for 0–15, 15–30, 30–60, 60–90 and 90–120 min. D: Blood insulin levels were measured after 6-h fasting. E: PEPCK1 mRNA expression was assessed by qPCR.