Proteomic analysis of the hypothalamus: effect of hyperlipidic diet consumption on the expression of proteins involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis

• Grant number: 08/00237-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2008
• End date: January 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Eliane Beraldi Ribeiro
• Grantee: Monica Marques Telles
• Host Institution: Departamento de Fisiologia. Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The hypothalamus is the region of the central nervous system (CNS) which integrates multiple signals involved in the regulation of food intake. The homeostatic regulation of the energy balance and body nutrients is influenced by hedonic aspects linked to food pleasure, which is affected by the increased consumption of high energy density and fat enriched palatable food. It is well recognized the role of hyperlipidic diets on obesity and the deleterious effects of this diet seems to be due to both high energy density and fatty acid composition. Pieces of evidence indicate that saturated fatty acids are strongly involved in the obesity genesis. The rise of obesity is related to the composition of the modern diet but the consequences of specific diet alterations on central mechanisms involved in the regulation of food intake remain unclear. The present study aims to elucidate central effects on hypothalamic protein expression promoted by chronic consumption of hyperlipidic diets. This study will be performed using proteomic analysis of the hypothalamus. Alterations of protein expression in CNS may reflect mechanisms involved in the regulation of behavioral and physiologic/physiopathologic responses. Through evaluation of the hypothalamic protein complement of rats fed with hyperlipidic diet we believe that we will be able to identify important mediators of CNS involved in the physiopathology of the alterations promoted by these diets. (AU)