BIOAVAILABILITY OF Citrus bergamia METABOLITES IN EXPERIMENTAL OBESITY MODEL

• Grant number: 24/21441-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: February 28, 2025
• End date: May 27, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutrition Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Camila Renata Corrêa
• Grantee: Luís Eduardo Sormani
• Supervisor: Giancarlo Aldini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/00750-4 - EFFECT OF CITRUS BERGAMIA BY-PRODUCTS ON GLUCOSE UPTAKE IN SKELETAL MUSCLE OF OBESE RATS, BP.MS

Abstract

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder caused by the excessive consumption of fatsand sugars. This condition leads to an increase in adipose tissue, triggering systemicinflammatory and oxidative states. It can affect various tissues, contributing to thedevelopment of several diseases. Given these challenges, bioactive compounds from citrusfruits, such as flavonoids and polyphenols, have gained attention for their antioxidant andanti-inflammatory properties. Citrus bergamia, cultivated in southern Italy, is rich inbioactive compounds like naringin and rutin. These compounds have shown promisingeffects in mitigating oxidative stress and improving metabolic dysfunctions associated withobesity. However, there are several barriers that can compromise the absorption of thesecompounds, such as stomach pH, intestinal dysbiosis, digestive enzymes and metabolicalterations. Once the body encounters these barriers, absorption becomes impaired,preventing its effectiveness. Obese individuals present almost all of these barriers, so it isimportant to investigate whether the compounds in Citrus bergamia are being absorbed bythe body in this model of experimental obesity triggered by a diet rich in sugar and fat. Thisproject aims to investigate the bioavailability of bergamot fruit extract metabolites. Wistarrats were distributed into 2 groups to receive a control diet (C, n = 20 animals) and a highsugar, high-fat diet (HSF, n = 20 animals) plus 25% sucrose in drinking water for 20 weeks.After this period, the animals were redistributed to receive a control diet + vehicle (C + V, n= 10 animals), a control diet + Bergamot (C + E, n = 10 animals), a HSF diet + vehicle (HSF +V, n = 10 animals) and a HSF diet + Bergamot (HSF + E, n = 10 animals) for 10 weeks. Boththe vehicle (filtered water) and bergamot were administered daily by gavage. The daybefore euthanasia urine was collected in metabolic cages for 12 hours (animals in individualboxes) in conical tubes for renal function analysis urea, creatinina and protein) andbioaviability using mass spectrometry, leveraging established methodologies andcollaborations with research groups experienced in identifying these bioactive compounds.