Brianne Guilford

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | SIUE · Department of Applied Health

Obesity and/or consumption of a high fat diet is associated with the development of peripheral neuropathy (PN) which is characterized by changes in epidermal innervation and increased sensitivity in the extremities. Evidence indicates that omega-3 fatty acids prevent the development of PN and attenuate adipose inflammation, but the interaction of P...

Peripheral neuropathy (PN), a debilitating complication of diabetes, is associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome in nondiabetic individuals. Evidence indicates that a high fat diet can induce signs of diabetic peripheral PN in mice but the pathogenesis of high fat diet-induced PN remains unknown. PURPOSE: Determine if neuronal inflammatio...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of voluntary wheel running (VWR) during weight-loss on hepatic lipid and inflammatory biomarkers using a murine model. To induce obesity, male C57Bl/6 mice were fed a 60% high-fat diet (HF) for 10 weeks. At 10 weeks, weight-loss was promoted by randomizing HF-fed mice to a normal diet (ND) either wi...

Diabetic neuropathy is a debilitating complication of diabetes, affecting over 50% of diabetic patients. Overweight humans display manifestations of diabetic neuropathy before developing overt diabetes and mice fed a high fat diet exhibit signs of neuropathy including mechanical hindpaw hypersensitivity and neuronal inflammation, suggesting diet‐in...

Neuropathy, a debilitating complication of diabetes, has primarily been attributed to poor glycemic control, but has recently been associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome in nondiabetic individuals. A robust body of evidence indicates that a high fat diet can induce signs of neuropathy in mice but the pathogenesis of high fat diet‐induce...

Alanine has long been recognized as an important substrate for hepatic gluconeogenesis through the glucose-alanine (Cahill) cycle which plays an important role in the maintenance of euglycemia during times of caloric deficiency. The Cahill cycle involves the transamination of pyruvate by the amino group of glutamate, producing α-ketoglutarate and a...

Insulin is known to have neurotrophic properties and loss of insulin support to sensory neurons may contribute to peripheral diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Here, genetically-modified mice were generated in which peripheral sensory neurons lacked the insulin receptor (SNIRKO mice) to determine whether disrupted sensory neuron insulin signaling plays a c...

The prevalence of obesity in the United States is at an all‐time high. It is estimated that 80–90% of the obese population has nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterized by excess lipid accumulation in the liver (when lipid exceeds >7% of total liver mass). NAFLD can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that include...

Neuropathy, a crippling diabetic complication, was initially purported to result from lack of glycemic control. However, recent research has linked neuropathy to obesity in individuals without diabetes. Furthermore, evidence indicates mice show signs of neuropathy after high fat feeding. However, the pathogenesis of neuropathy induced by a high fat...

Non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a liver condition characterized as excess lipid accumulation (>7%) and chronic low‐grade inflammation. The pathogenesis of NASH is generalized as multi‐factorial; however, recent evidence proposed a unifocal model in which an imbalance in cholesterol homeostasis is a dominant cause and other co‐factors modify...

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a chronic complication of diabetes, affecting patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Loss of nerve fibers in the skin and increased sensitivity to touch is a characteristic sign of painful neuropathy in human patients. Similarly, high fat‐fed prediabetic mice exhibit signs of neuropathy including hind...

FNDC5/irisin, has recently been identified as a novel protein that stimulates the “browning” of white adipose by inducing thermogenesis via increased uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). We tested the hypothesis that high fat diet‐induced prediabetic mice would exhibit increased FNDC5 and this effect would be attenuated by chronic exercise. C57BL/6 mice we...

Emerging clinical evidence now suggests dyslipidemia may be strongly linked with the development and progression of neuropathy in diabetic patients, and dyslipidemia is considered an important risk factor for the development of diabetic neuropathy. However, because of important species differences, current animal models fall short of accurately rep...