Impact of iron deficiency on lipoprotein metabolism in individuals with obesity

• Grant number: 24/04018-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Kil Sun Lee
• Grantee: Isabella Mendes Borghetti
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Obesity is a condition associated with unhealthy lifestyle habits, and is often accompanied by other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. With its incidence increasing and being a significant risk factor for several chronic non-communicable diseases, obesity has become one of the main public health problems. One of the comorbidities of obesity is iron deficiency. Possible causes of this deficiency may be related to inadequate diet and the presence of chronic inflammation that lead to hormonal changes, including hepcidin, which regulates iron homeostasis. Iron is an important micronutrient for many metabolic functions. Its deficiency is capable of negatively impacting several physiological aspects. For example, iron bioavailability appears to be closely associated with lipid metabolism and cholesterol and lipoprotein homeostasis. Although it has been little explored, there is evidence that iron deficiency may contribute to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is essential for cellular maintenance and metabolic homeostasis, and is also one of the components of lipoproteins, together with apolipoproteins. Apolipoproteins have diverse functions in lipid metabolism, but their blood levels are also used as diagnostic and prognostic markers for diseases such as dementia. Therefore, the objective of this project is to investigate the metabolism of lipoproteins in individuals with obesity and concomitant iron deficiency to better understand the effect of iron deficiency on the worsening of obesity. The success in conducting this study may provide avenues for new therapeutic and preventive possibilities not only for obesity, but also for comorbidities.