Possible modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by physical exercise

• Grant number: 22/13905-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Nunes França
• Grantee: Ana Luiza Pereira Assunção Silveira
• Host Institution: Universidade de Santo Amaro (UNISA). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently, the prevalence of overweight and obesity affects approximately 1/3 of the world's population today. It is known that obesity is closely associated with inflammation, which leads to increased production of cytokines mediated by the activation of a complex of intracellular proteins called inflammasomes, among which the most studied in the metabolic context has been NLRP3. Although it is accepted that physical exercise brings benefits associated with obesity, little is known about the modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate a possible modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in subjects with obesity after high-intensity interval training compared to untrained subjects. Sedentary individuals with obesity (approximately 84) from both sexes, aged between 18 and 60 years, will be invited to voluntarily participate in the present study and then separated into two groups: trained (three weekly HIIT sessions, for a period of eight weeks) and untrained group (control). Assessment of body composition will be performed in a densitometer, through the absorption of dual-energy X-rays (DEXA); the NLRP3 inflammasome (and associated interleukins: IL-1², IL-18, and IL-6) will be evaluated by real-time PCR, before the beginning of the training protocol and after eight weeks of training (concerning the control group, there will be a unique evaluation). Interaction analysis of gene pathways of the NLRP3 inflammasome will also be performed.