Mechanism and implications of advanced glycation end products (AGE) and its receptor RAGE axis as crucial mediators linking inflammation and obesity

Abstract

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are heterogenous compounds that play a central role in various chronic diseases, such as diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. These are formed by non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugar and amino group of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Elevated levels of AGEs are associated with obesity, which is linked to hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, contributing to metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Both dietary and endogenous AGEs contribute to persistent oxidative stress and inflammation directly through glycated biomolecules and indirectly through its receptor, receptor for advanced glycation end products, RAGE. In this context, inflammation is a sustained, systemic immune response with macrophage infiltration into adipose tissues, high pro- inflammatory cytokines leading to immune dysregulation, activation of key inflammatory pathways such as NF-kB and JNK signaling, increase oxidative stress, insulin resistance suggesting inflammation as both a cause and consequence of metabolic dysfunction. Persistent oxidative stress and inflammation accelerates AGEs formation, disrupt cellular signaling, alter extracellular matrix integrity, impair release of enzymes and hormones. Also, AGE-induced gut microbiome imbalance elicits conditions such as systemic inflammation, intestinal barrier dysfunction and metabolic imbalance, promoting obesity and its complications. This review explores the central role of AGEs in obesity-associated inflammation, emphasizing AGE-RAGE signaling, epigenetic regulation and gut microbiome dysfunction. Understanding this interplay mediated by AGEs is critical for identifying potential biomarkers of metabolic risk and strategize means to prevent AGEs formation, block AGE-RAGE interaction and signaling, thus mitigating the effects of obesity and its associated diseases.

Keywords: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs); Inflammation; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Receptor for advanced glycation end products RAGE.