Oxygen consumption in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and the effect of palmitoleic acid

• Grant number: 15/10122-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Paula Bresciani Martins de Andrade
• Grantee: Amanda Santos de Almeida
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde. Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul (UNICSUL). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/51701-3 - Mitochondrial function during adipogenesis in the white adipose tissue (WAT): function of fatty acids, AP.JP

Abstract

Mitochondrial function (from biogenesis to metabolismo) is involved in the regulation of many processes in white adipose tissue (WAT) (adipogenesis, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, pre-adipocytes proliferation and differentiation into adipocytes, transdifferentiation and triacylglycerol accumulation). This project aims to investigate the effect of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (FA) on WAT preadipocyte cellular respiration. 3T3-L1 clonal cells will be treated with palmitic (C16: 0) and palmitoleic (C16: 1 n-7) acid and the oxygen consumption rate will be measured (Oroboros oxygraph). In the main project (FAPESP grants 2012/10525-0 and 2011/51701-3) we have observed that acute and chronic treatment with palmitoleic acid have raised basal oxygen consumption rate in mature adipocytes, but we have not yet investigated this parameter in pre-adipocytes. The data will be normalized by cell number and/or protein content. We believe that the positive modulation of mitochondrial activity in WAT would increase energy expenditure in this tissue. The confirmation of this hypothesis will surely contribute to the treatment of obesity and related diseases. However, this topic is still controversial.