Metabolic and mitochondrial abnormalities in congenital analbuminemia: studies in nagase analbuminemic-dyslipiemic rats

Author(s)

Tiago Rezende Figueira

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
• Defense date: 2011-11-22

Examining board members

Anibal Eugenio Vercesi; Antonio Galina Filho; Licio Augusto Velloso; Jose Antonio Rocha Gontijo; Luciane Carla Alberici

• Advisor: Anibal Eugenio Vercesi

Abstract

Congenital analbuminemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a trace level of albumin in blood plasma and mild clinical symptoms. Analbuminemic patients and rats (Nagase analbuminemic rats - NAR) present associated abnormalities, among which the disturbances in plasma lipid metabolism and transport are hallmarks. The dyslipidemia associated with analbuminemia comprises a unique plasma lipid profile (i.e. high cholesterol and triglycerides, but a severe free-fatty acids deficiency). Three independent works on analbuminemia are presented in this PhD thesis, whose aims were: 1) to investigate the mechanisms of NAR hypertriglyceridemia and plasma free-fatty acids deficiency; 2) to study carbohydrate metabolism in NAR; 3) to evaluate mitochondrial (dys)function in NAR. Also, a methodological study about the use of the dye safranine as a fluorescent probe for the assessment of mitochondrial transmembrane electrical potential is presented in this thesis. The main results from these studies were: Study one: lipogenesis (596 ± 40 vs. 929 ± 124 ?mol 3H2O/g/h) and triglyceride secretion rates (4.25 ± 1.00 vs. 7.04 ± 1.68 mg/dL/min) were slower (P ? 0.05) in fasted NAR than in control Sprague-Dawley rats (SDR). The injection of either heparin or albumin elicited an increase in NAR plasma FFA levels over time. FFA levels reached control levels 90 min after the albumin administration into NAR, increasing from 0.36 ± 0.05 to 1.34 ± 0.16 mEq/L (P ? 0.05). These results indicate that the lack of plasma albumin inhibits intravascular lipolysis and causes the FFA deficit observed in NAR. Moreover, hepatic triglyceride output seems not to contribute to NAR hypertriglyceridemia. Study two: plasma glucose levels were similar between fed and fasted NAR and SDR, but fed insulinemia was higher in NAR than in SDR (P ? 0.05). NAR displayed increased glucose tolerance compared to SDR (P ? 0.05). This enhanced glucose tolerance was associated with higher insulinemia after the glucose load, and with similar insulin sensitivity between the groups. Despite similar liver glycogen content in fully fed condition, NAR had lower glycogen content (40% of control) after 6-h fasting. The injection of pyruvate (gluconeogenic substrate) elicited a faster rise in glycemia of NAR than in SDR. Therefore, NAR display enhanced glucose metabolism. Study three: the Ca2+ retention capacity of the liver mitochondria isolated from 3-month-old NAR was about 50% that of the control. Interestingly, the assessment of this variable in 21-day-old NAR and SDR indicated that the mitochondrial Ca2+ retention capacity was preserved at this age. A 20% decrease in mitochondrial nitrosothiol content and a 30% increase in cyclophilin D expression were observed in NAR liver mitochondria. None of the variables related to mitochondrial redox state differed between the controls and NAR, i.e., namely the contents of reduced mitochondrial membrane protein thiol groups and total glutathione, H2O2 release rate, and NAD(P)H reduced state. We conclude that the higher expression of cyclophilin D, a major component in the mitochondrial permeability transition process, and decreased nitrosothiol content in NAR mitochondria may underlie their lower Ca2+ retention capacity (AU)