Hepatoprotective effect of Citrus bergamia on oxidative stress resulting from obesity

• Grant number: 23/09663-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Camila Renata Corrêa
• Grantee: Maria Julia Ribeiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Obesity is a disease defined by the accumulation of body fat that can harm health. The liver is among the most affected organs in this case. Oxidative stress is one of the main pathophysiological mechanisms in the development of liver disease under conditions of obesity. That said, the search for compounds with a beneficial action on obesity complications and with antioxidant properties is increasingly in evident. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which acts upon complications associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. That way, the objective of this work is to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of supplementation with Citrus bergamia (Endoberg®) on markers of oxidative stress in obese rats. After the adaptation period, these animals will be randomly distributed in 4 groups to receive control diet and vehicle (water) (C, n= 15 animals), control diet and Endoberg® (C+ E, n= 15 animals), diet rich in sugar and fat plus 25% sucrose in drinking water and vehicle (HSF, n=15 animals) and HSF and Endoberg® diet (HSF + E, n=15 animals) for 20 weeks. The administration of Endoberg® and the vehicle will be done by gavage at a concentration of 250mg/Kg. At the end of the experimental period, the animals will be euthanized by decapitation for collection of liver tissue and blood. The following parameters will be evaluated: consumption dietary intake, caloric intake, body weight, adiposity index, blood pressure and plasma glucose and lipid profiles. In liver tissue, will be oxidative stress markers evaluated: malondialdehyde, protein carboxylation and oxidation, antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and catalase. As it will also be done, histological analysis by oil red and hematoxylin and eosin. The parametric data will be presented inmean ± standard deviation and comparisons between groups will be performed by Two-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc test. The non-parametric ones will bepresented in median and interquartile range (p25 and p75) and as comparisons between groups will be performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's post-hoc test. p values <0.05 will be considered statistically significant.