Effects of aerobic exercise training on morphology and genetic markers of adipose tissue in obese female mice

• Grant number: 25/04493-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Maria Andréia Delbin
• Grantee: Guilherme Alves dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The adipose tissue plays an important endocrine and paracrine role, and in obesity its morphology and secretory pattern can be altered. It is known that aerobic physical exercise modulates the phenotype of white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on the morphology and genetic markers of perigonadal adipose tissue and interscapular adipose tissue in obese female mice. Female C57BL6/JUnib mice (4-5 weeks old) (CEUA/UNICAMP: 5849-1/2021) will be divided into: sedentary (SD), trained (TR), sedentary obese (OB/SD), and trained obese (OB/TR). Obesity will be induced by a 16-week high-fat diet (32% carbohydrates, 20% proteins, and 38% lipids, 6.2 kcal/g), and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (50-60% of maximum speed) will begin after 8 weeks of the protocol and be performed on a treadmill, 5 days/week, 60 minutes per session, for an additional 8 weeks. Histological analysis will be performed on WAT from the perigonadal region and BAT from the interscapular region using hematoxylin and eosin staining to characterize the tissue morphology and quantify adipocytes. The expression of adipose tissue genetic markers will be assessed: Hoxc9, Tcf21, Tbx1, Tmem26, Lep (leptin), Retn (resistin), Adipoq (adiponectin), Ucp1, Prdm16, Cidea, and Zic1. Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin will be measured.