The role of interleukin 4 in cholesterol synthesis 2960

Abstract Description Cytokines are key regulators of lipid metabolism, with Interleukin-4 (IL-4) demonstrating protective effects in mouse models by enhancing insulin sensitivity, reducing adipogenesis, and improving glucose tolerance. Dysregulated lipid metabolism contributes to metabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Our study found that IL-4 correlates with higher total cholesterol (R = 0.33, P = 0.04) and LDL levels (R = 0.43, P = 0.005) in obese African American men, regardless of HbA1c status. RNA sequencing data further revealed that IL-4 upregulates key genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, including HMGCS1, HMGCR, IDI1, and SQLE with significant fild increases in expression after IL-4 treatment. In Hep-C3A cells treated with IL-4, significant increases in mRNA expression were observed at 3 hours for HMGCS1 (1.59-fold), HMGCR (1.71-fold), and IDI1 (1.65-fold), with no significant change in SQLE. At 6 hours, expression further increased for HMGCS1 (2.10-fold), HMGCR (1.97-fold), IDI1 (2.04-fold), and SQLE (1.62-fold). These findings suggest that IL-4 may influence lipid metabolism and contribute to metabolic health disparities. Further research is needed to understand IL-4’s regulatory mechanisms, including its impact on hepatic lipid storage and secretion, and how these effects are modified by genetic and environmental factors such as diet and IL-4 receptor polymorphisms. Topic Categories Cytokines and Chemokines and Their Receptors (CCR)