Characterization of altered metabolic pathways in obesity-associated iron deficiency on multiple organs

• Grant number: 22/00422-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Kil Sun Lee
• Grantee: Ana Paula de Oliveira Ferreira
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Obesity is a metabolic syndrome whose development is mainly associated with environmental factors but is also influenced by genetic factors. Several comorbidities are associated with obesity, including iron deficiency which has been little investigated compared to other comorbidities. Iron deficiency in obesity can be established due to the endocrine activity of the adipose tissue. That will result in a decrease of systemic iron levels through the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and regulation of the expression of hepcidin, the main hormone that regulates iron homeostasis. Considering that iron is an important micronutrient for several functions of biological systems, such as oxygen transport and energy production at the cellular level, it is possible to speculate that iron deficiency resulting from obesity influences the macronutrient metabolism and contributes to the worsening of the disease and its associated comorbidities. Therefore, this project was designed to investigate the relationship between iron homeostasis and obesity in multiple organs, using animal models of obesity and iron deficiency and validating the results in human samples. The successful conduction of this project may bring innovations to the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of obesity and its comorbidities, in addition to helping to plan new prevention strategies.