EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF CITRAL ON HIGH-FAT DIET-INDUCED NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE IN C57BL/6J ADIPONECTIN KNOCKOUT MICE

• Grant number: 24/15790-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 06, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Ethnopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Clélia Akiko Hiruma Lima
• Grantee: Mariana Moraes Fioravanti
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Consumption of lipid-rich diets leads to dysfunction and progressive increase in adipose tissue (AT), which promotes the development of comorbidities such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and stimulates the secretion of adipokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with liver damage. Adiponectin, one of the major adipokines, promotes the oxidation of free fatty acids and reduces oxidative stress by increasing the expression of antioxidants. Therefore, adiponectin has become a potential therapeutic target for the changes associated with NAFLD. Citral (CT) is a monoterpene whose anti-inflammatory and anti-obesogenic effects have already been demonstrated in previous results from our group, where it acted on plasma levels of adiponectin. However, the mechanisms by which the monoterpene acts to modulate its levels in NAFLD are unknown. Therefore, our general objective is to evaluate the protective and anti-inflammatory effects of CT through the modulation of adiponectin in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD in C57BL/6J mice knouckout for adiponectin. To this end, we will evaluate gene and protein expression of inflammatory markers, antioxidants, and adiponectin receptors using RT-PCR and biochemical assays, respectively. Serum adipokine levels will also be assessed to characterize the metabolic and inflammatory profile of the disease.