Effects of ovariectomy and hyperlipidemic diets on the inflammatory state of adipose tissue and liver of rats

• Grant number: 12/07250-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: May 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Eliane Beraldi Ribeiro
• Grantee: Natasha Scaranello Cartolano
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Menopause is defined as the absence of menstrual cycles for at least twelve months. From that event a number of changes will occur, women will become more susceptible to the development of several diseases, including osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, insulin resistance and obesity. Obesity, which is progressively becoming one of the most prevalent diseases in the Western world, is due to positive energy balance, in which the amount of energy consumed exceeds the amount spent. It is observed that the implications of obesity go from social stigma and psychological disorders to severe metabolic disorders. Several discoveries have been made regarding the deposit of fat in the form of human adipose tissue. Today it is known that the adipose tissue is more than a mere energy stock, it is, in fact, an endocrine organ, responsible for the production of various substances. Moreover, it is a consensus that obesity is a chronic state of inflammation, which is an organic response to aggression in an attempt to restore the previous balance. Thus, it is observed that inflammatory markers may be increased in the presence of obesity. This project will quantify the following proteins: pNF-KB p 50, pNF-KB p 65 and TLR-4 in retroperitoneal adipose tissue and liver of rats previously submitted to ovariectomy and treated with high-fat diets rich in either PUFA-3 or saturated fatty acids, in order to see if there are changes in the expression of such proteins. (AU)