Papel da taurina na regulação da morfofunção pancreática endócrina de camundongos geneticamente obesos (ob/ob)

Author(s)

Junia Carolina Rebelo Santos Silva

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia
• Defense date: 2014-12-15

Examining board members

Everardo Magalhães Carneiro; Fernando Abdulkader; Fernanda Ortis; Sandra Lucinei Balbo; Ana Paula Davel

• Advisor: Rosane Aparecida Ribeiro; Everardo Magalhães Carneiro

Abstract

Obesity is an important factor that predisposes to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The transition from obesity to T2DM is preceded by insulin resistance which can manifest in response to environmental influences such as the intake of high-fat diets or genetic factors, such as deficiency in the production of leptin. Obese (ob/ob) mice are characterized by the absence of production of leptin and become obese due to severe hyperfagia. Taurine (Tau) is a non-essential amino acid and among its various biological actions stands out its involvement in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of Tau supplementation upon the development of obesity, glucose homeostasis, structure and function of the endocrine pancreas in ob/ob mice. We used C57 and ob/ob who drank water (C and ob) or 5% of Tau (CT and obT) from 30 to 90 days of age. Ob mice showed massive accumulation of body fat, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. These changes in glucose homeostasis were followed by adaptive morphological and functional changes in the pancreatic islet from ob mice with hypersecretion of insulin in response to glucose associated with increased Ca 2+ influx and a reduction in somatostatin action on the ? cell. This increased secretory response was also associated with increased activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, as ob islets secrete more insulin in response to the cholinergic agonist carbachol (Cch), and when protein kinases (PK) -A and C pahtways were activated. However, female ob islets showed no reduction in insulin secretion in response to phenylephrine, suggesting diminished sympathetic sensitivity in this group. Tau supplementation did not prevent the development of obesity, but improved glucose tolerance, reduced hepatic glucose production and increased insulin sensitivity. Islets from obT mice showed attenuation of hypersecretion of insulin in response to glucose. This effect may be associated with improved sensitivity of obT islet to somatostatin and lower Ca 2+ influx in response to glucose and reduced the amplification of insulin secretion in response to cholinergic/PKC pathway and increased sympathetic sensitivity in islets from female obT mice. Moreover, we observed higher glucagon secretion in islets from ob mouse and this change may be due to changes in the excitement of ? cell because the ob group increased frequency of Ca 2+ oscillations in response to basal and stimulatory concentrations of glucose. All physiological changes were accompanied by an increase in islet, ? and ? cells masses in the pancreas from ob mice. Tau reduced the mass of islets and ? cells, however there was a higher content of ? and ? cells masses in obT. Morphological and functional modifications in islets from ob mice were accompanied by reduced gene expression of glucagon, somatostatin, GLUT-2, TRPM5, SSTR2, and MafB, but increased mRNA content of insulin, PAX6, PDX-1 and Ngn3. Tau normalized gene expression of glucagon, TRPM5 and GLUT-2 and increased the expression of MafA, Ngn3 and NeuroD. Our results indicate, for the first time, that supplementation with Tau improves glucose homeostasis by regulating the morphology and physiology of ?, ? and ? cells in ob mice, indicating a possible therapeutic role for preservation of pancreatic endocrine function in obesity and T2DM (AU)