Molecular and functional analysis of taurine action on apoptosis and redox balance pathways in cells/tissues submitted to amino acid restriction

• Grant number: 16/25783-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): May 27, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Everardo Magalhães Carneiro
• Grantee: Mariana Sarto Figueiredo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07607-8 - OCRC - Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, AP.CEPID

Abstract

The nutritional deficiency in early life is directly related to the emergence of physiological and metabolic disorders throughout the life of the individual and contributing directly or indirectly to the development of Chronic Diseases (CDs). Among the CDs we can highlight Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus (DM), which have a high prevalence in worldwide adult population. Currently, many studies have identified the role of amino acid supplementation and in particular taurine as an important therapeutic strategy in the treatment of DM, where it has been demonstrated that mice supplementation with taurine increases glucose tolerance and insulin secretion stimulated by glucose, amino acids and potentiating agents. It is known that taurine has many biological and physiological properties such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, osmotic regulation, membrane stabilization, modulation of cellular calcium levels, among others. Faced with this problem using the strategy of an amino acid restriction in vitro model can provide important tools for elucidating the mechanisms involved in this metabolic reprogramming, because we can promote specific tissue changes on a smaller temporal chronology. Thus, this strategy would, more clearly understand how the amino acid constraint can lead to loss of cellular function and CD development. Therefore, we intend to use in vitro amino acid restriction model to expand the knowledge of taurine supplementation, and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of apoptosis, since the literature presents a few studies dedicated to the elucidate the relevant mechanisms by which this amino acid participates in the regulation of cellular apoptosis. Therefore, this proposal aims to evaluate the effect of taurine on apoptosis pathways regulated by heat shock proteins and SIRT1. For those we use cell and animal models of protein restriction for study the secretion and insulin action, oxidative stress, inflammatory markers and the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis in pancreatic islets, hepatocytes, muscle cells and follicular thyroid cells. In the future, our findings may contribute to the development of drugs for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as Obesity and Diabetes. (AU)