Evaluation of inflammatory makers in the hepatic tissue of mice diets enriched with partially hydrogenated an interesterified vegetable fats

• Grant number: 25/04869-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutrition Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marciane Milanski Ferreira
• Grantee: Ana Julia Rodrigues Vitorino da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas (FCA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/04787-7 - Evaluation of metabolic effects related to interesterified fat intake in preclinical models and estimation of its consumption in a sample of individuals, AP.R

Abstract

Interesterified fat has been an alternative for the food industry to the use of partially hydrogenated fat (PHF), which is rich in trans fatty acids. Unlike PHF, the interesterification process promotes the reorganization of fatty acids in the glycerol molecule, without altering its degree of saturation. Recent studies have shown that its long-term consumption is related to the development of metabolic disorders in rodents, such as weight gain, activation of inflammatory pathways, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance and increased intestinal permeability. However, it is important to compare the metabolic effects of diets rich in PHF, already well described in the literature, with diets rich in interesterified fat. The liver acts as the main detoxification organ of the body, and also performs essential functions for physiological homeostasis, such as: storage and redistribution of macronutrients, synthesis of urea, hormones and proteins, and is also associated with the metabolism of glucose and fats. There is no doubt that they are of great importance in fat metabolism because they regulate lipid homeostasis through the synthesis of fatty acids, export and redistribution of these molecules to other tissues and, in some cases, their use as energy substrates. Therefore, the present study aims to understand and compare the effects of exposure to interesterified fat and PHF on hepatic lipid metabolism and repercussions on the activation of inflammatory pathways in Swiss mice.