Analysis of sexual dimorphism in insulin signaling and hepatic and renal glucose metabolism in BTBR ob/ob mice

• Grant number: 24/01229-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Karina Thieme
• Grantee: Yasmin Ricci Souza Rocha
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMT2) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by increased blood glucose levels. In DMT2, hyperglycemia is the result of impaired insulin signaling in tissues, which leads to an excess of this hormone in the blood - a metabolic condition known as insulin resistance. The prevalence of DMT2 is higher in men than in women, who are more resistant to the development of metabolic disorders in obesity. These data indicate an important contribution of the biological sex factor in the pathophysiology of T2DM, but the functional and molecular mechanisms underlying this fact are not yet fully understood. Thus, the objective of the current proposal is to investigate the role of sexual dimorphism in insulin signaling and hepatic and renal glucose metabolism in BTBR ob/ob mice, which mimic DMT2 presented by patients in the medical clinic. For this, the mice will be analyzed until the 16th week of life, and the protein expression of the insulin pathway, as well as the expression of genes associated with glycolysis and gluconeogenesis will be investigated in liver and kidney tissue. The expression of genes related to renal glucose processing will also be evaluated. With the current proposal, we intend to explain some mechanisms associated with the pathophysiological differences of DMT2 between men and women.