EFFECT OF CITRUS BERGAMIA BY-PRODUCTS ON GLUCOSE UPTAKE IN SKELETAL MUSCLE OF OBESE RATS

• Grant number: 24/00750-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutrition Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Camila Renata Corrêa
• Grantee: Luís Eduardo Sormani
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/21441-0 - BIOAVAILABILITY OF Citrus bergamia METABOLITES IN EXPERIMENTAL OBESITY MODEL, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The high consumption of foods rich in saturated fats and simple sugars are associated with the incidence of metabolic disorders, including obesity. This disease compromises the striated skeletal muscle, leading to several losses, among them the uptake of glucose. Citrus bergamia, known as bergamot, is rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity. This fruit, for being unpalatable, is more used in the cosmetics industry in the form of oil. As a sustainability measure, the waste material, after the process, was reused and is currently commercially called Endoberg®. Studies show that this material has several bioactive compounds capable of fighting metabolic syndrome parameters such as insulin resistance. Studies show that this material has several bioactive compounds capable of fighting metabolic syndrome parameters such as insulin resistance. Based on these publications, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the Citrus bergamia by-product on glucose uptake in skeletal muscle of obese rats. Male Wistar rats (n=40) will be casually distributed in 2 groups to receive control diet (C, n=20 animals) and high sugar and high fat diet (HSF, n=20 animals) plus 25% sucrose in the drinking water for a period of 20 weeks. After this period, confirming the statistical difference in body weight and insulin resistance by HOMA-IR between the groups, the animals will be redistributed to receive control diet + vehicle (C + V, n=10 animals), control diet + Bergamot (C + E, n=10 animals), HSF diet + vehicle (HSF + V, n=10 animals) and HSF diet + Bergamot (HSF + E, n=10 animals) for 10 weeks. The vehicle, filtered water and Bergamot will be administered daily by gavage. Animal consumption (diet and water) will be measured daily to evaluate caloric intake and weight weekly. The animals will be evaluated for adiposity index and plasma levels of glucose, triglycerides and insulin. The skeletal muscle will be measured for inflammatory and oxidative stress markers and the glucose uptake pathway GLUT-4 and total and phosphorylated IRS-1 by western blot. Differences between groups will be determined by two-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis with Tukey post-hoc; 5% significance. At week 20, Student's t-test will be performed to assess the presence of obesity.