Metabolic flexibility plays a significant role in energy homeostasis by regulating fuel selection in correspondence to energy demand. Obese and type II diabetic populations have displayed a hindered ability to properly transition from fat oxidation while in a fasted state to carbohydrate oxidation once fed, leading to a buildup of mitochondrial metabolites such as acylcarnitines. Carnitine, essential for fatty acyl-CoA transport through the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes, can be an indicator of mitochondrial distress as elevated levels tend to spill over into plasma suggesting a disruption in oxidation. The current study was designed to examine the effect of short term, high fat feeding on plasma acylcarnitine species diversity and levels and if acylcarnitines are associated with metabolic flexibility. 13 healthy, non-obese, sedentary males, aged 18-40 years participated in this study. Following a 12-hour overnight fast a biopsy was taken from the quadricep before and 4 hours after a high fat meal. Blood draws were obtained pre-biopsy while fasted and every hour for 4 hours post high fat meal consumption. Acylcarnitines from plasma were converted to their butyl esters and analyzed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Changes were observed in acetylcarntine (P=0.0125), glucose oxidation (P=0.0295), C16:1/C16:0 desaturation index (P= 0.0397), and C18:1/C18:0 desaturation index (P=0.0012). We did not find that individual changes in flexibility correlated with circulating acylcarnitine measurements in a fasted state / Master of Science

Skeletal muscle is highly involved in macronutrient metabolism. To maintain proper energy metabolism and physiology, skeletal muscle must adapt to nutrient supply. Thus, diet macronutrient composition is an important modulator of skeletal muscle metabolism. Evidence from rodent and human models show high-fat diets contribute to impaired insulin signaling, as well as decreased fatty acid and glucose oxidation. Utilizing proteomic analysis of metabolic proteins in humans may lead to the mechanism behind skeletal muscle adaption to macronutrient composition, potentially providing the groundwork for characterizing the etiology of high-fat feeding induced metabolic disease. The objective of this study was to compare the substrate oxidation patterns and the levels of metabolic proteins in the fasted skeletal muscle of lean, healthy males that either increased fatty acid oxidation in response to the high-fat diet, termed responders, or males that decreased fatty acid oxidation, termed non-responders. We employed a controlled feeding study design, where the participants served as their own controls. Following a 2-week control diet (30% fat, 55% carbohydrate and 15% protein), participants came to the lab fasted overnight and a muscle biopsy was taken from their vastus lateralis muscle. Participants were then placed on a 5-day high-fat diet (50% fat [45% saturated fat], 35% carbohydrate, and 15% protein). Following this diet, participants again came to the lab fasted overnight and another muscle biopsy was taken from their vastus lateralis muscle. Both the control and the high-fat diets were isocaloric to habitual diets. Muscle from the biopsies were utilized for substrate metabolism measures and mass spectrometry. We did not observe any significant differences in glucose oxidation between responders and non-responders, prior to or following the high-fat diet. Our proteomic analysis identified 81 proteins and protein subunits involved in substrate metabolism but only 6 were differentially regulated by the high-fat diet. Independent of the high-fat diet, compared to non-responders, responders contained an overall higher content of protein subunits belonging to Complex I and ATP synthase. The findings from this study suggest that adaption to high-fat feeding is individual specific and proteomic changes alone cannot explain high-fat feeding induced metabolic changes. / Ph. D. / Skeletal muscle is highly involved in macronutrient metabolism, which consist of the breakdown and utilization of glucose and fatty acids, thus making the foods we ingest a major modulator of skeletal muscle metabolism. Over the last few decades, Americans have increased their ingestion of foods high in saturated fats, which has coincided with the increased prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Further, evidence suggests these metabolic diseases are associated with the skeletal muscle’s inability to switch between the utilization of glucose and fatty acid in response to nutrient supply. Analyzing metabolic protein content in humans may lead to the mechanism behind skeletal muscle adaption to macronutrient composition, potentially leading to the cause behind the development of high-fat feeding induced metabolic disease. The objective of our controlled feeding study was to compare the macronutrient metabolism and the content of metabolic proteins in the fasted skeletal muscle of healthy males that either increased fatty acid utilization in response to a high-fat diet, termed responders, or males that decreased fatty acid utilization, termed non-responders. Following a 2-week control diet (30% fat, 55% carbohydrate and 15% protein), participants came to the lab fasted overnight and a biopsy was taken from their thigh muscle called the vastus lateralis. Participants then began a 5-day high-fat diet (50% fat [45% saturated fat], 35% carbohydrate, and 15% protein). Following this diet, participants came to the lab fasted overnight and another biopsy was taken from their vastus lateralis muscle. Both the control and the high-fat diets were isocaloric to habitual diets. The muscle samples were used to analyze macronutrient metabolism and identify metabolic protein content. We did not observe differences in glucose utilization between responders and non-responders, prior to or following the high-fat diet. We identified 81 metabolic proteins and protein subunits but only 6 were differentially regulated by the high-fat diet. Independent of diet, responders contained higher levels of subunits from 2 proteins involved in cell energy production, Complex I and ATP synthase. Our findings suggest that adaption to high-fat feeding is individual specific and protein content changes alone cannot explain high-fat feeding induced metabolic changes.

No description available.

O aumento da adiposidade corpórea pode gerar diversos mediadores inflamatórios com capacidade de influenciar a proliferação e a diferenciação hematopoética e, consequentemente, a complexa regulação da hematopoese. Por isso, propusemo-nos, neste trabalho, avaliar a influência do aumento da adiposidade corpórea sobre a proliferação e a diferenciação de células hematopoéticas, bem como sua capacidade em sintetizar citocinas. Ratos Wistar, machos foram alimentados com uma dieta rica em lipídios durante 14 semanas. Após esse período foram avaliados hemograma, mielograma, perfil lipídico, concentrações séricas de leptina, insulina e adiponectina. Citômetria de fluxo foi utilizada para avaliação da porcentagem de células CD34+/CD133+, bem como o ciclo celular de células medulares. Células medulares foram utilizadas para avaliar a atividade proliferativa in vitro e a capacidade de diferenciação, in vitro, na presença de IL-3, EPO, GM-CSF e G-CSF. Animais, alimentados com dieta hiperlipídica, apresentaram maiores concentrações de leptina circulante, com aumento de gordura corporal, aumento da concetração de proteína C reativa, colesterol total, LDL, VLDL e triacilglicerol. O hemograma apresentou neutrofilia absoluta e a medula óssea apresentou-se hipercelular com aumento do número de granulócitos maduros e da população celular CD133-/CD34+. Os resultados dos testes in vitro demonstraram aumento da capacidade de síntese de IL-3 e aumento de G-CSF, com aumento do potencial proliferativo, também evidenciado pelo maior número de células medulares na fase S/G2/M, bem como o aumento da diferenciação granulocítica. Esses resultados sugerem que a leucocitose e neutrofilia observadas em situações de aumento da adiposidade corpórea são decorrentes de uma complexa modulação do sistema hematopoético. / The body fat increase can generate various inflammatory mediators, that are capable to influence the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells and consequently modulate the complex regulation of the hematopoiesis. In this study we have proposed to evaluate the effect of increase body fat on the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells, as well as its ability to synthesize cytokines. Male Wistar rats were subjected to a high fat diet during a period of 14 weeks. After that period were evaluated hemogram, mielogram, lipid profile and the serum concentrations of leptin, insulin and adiponectin. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the percentage of CD34+/CD133+, as well as the cell cycle of bone marrow cells. Bone marrow cells were used to perform the proliferation and differentiation capacity in vitro in the presence of IL-3, EPO, GM-CSF and G-CSF. Animals fed high-fat diet had higher concentrations of circulating leptin with increase body fat, and increase of C-reactive protein, total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL and triacylglycerol concentrations. The hemogram showed absolute neutrophilia and a hypercellular bone marrow with increase of granulocytic mature population and CD133-/CD34+ cells. The results in vitro, showed an increase of IL-3 and G-CSF production, and higher proliferative potential with an increase in S/G2/M bone marrow cell cycle phases, as well as an increase of the granulocytic differentiation. The results suggest that leukocytosis and neutrophilia observed in this model of body fat increase are in fact a result of a complex modulation of the hematopoietic system.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-02-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:40:53Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 leopoldo_apl_dr_botfm.pdf: 2253115 bytes, checksum: 28ca3088b9d995d2eab4a88eb473ac7d (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Atualmente mais de um bilhão de pessoas apresentam sobrepeso, sendo que, mais de 30% desta população é obesa. Diversas alterações estruturais e funcionais do coração em humanos tem sido frequentemente associadas com a obesidade. Modelos experimentais, por dieta hiperlipídica, têm sido utilizados para estudar a relação obesidade e coração. O trânsito de cálcio miocárdico tem sido extensivamente estudado em diversos modelos experimentais e frequentemente relacionado com disfunção cardíaca. Entretanto, a literatura mostra escassez de estudos que avaliaram a relação entre o tempo de exposição à obesidade por dieta hiperlipídica, o RNAm e as proteínas envolvidas na homeostase de Ca+2 miocárdico. Além disso, pesquisas relatam a influência dos hormônios tireoidianos nestas proteínas, podendo acarretar alterações na contração e relaxamento cardíaco.O objetivo principal desse estudo foi testar a hipótese que o aumento no tempo de exposição à obesidade acarreta diminuição na expressão e/ou fosforilação das proteínas e dos respectivos níveis de RNAm relacionados com o trânsito de Ca+2 miocárdico. Este estudo teve como objetivo secundário constatar se a diminuição na expressão gênica foi acompanhada de redução dos níveis hormonais tireoidianos. Os períodos de dieta hiperlipídica, utilizados nesse estudo, foram eficientes em promover obesidade, desde que o índice de adiposidade utilizado para caracterizar os animais como obesos foi 79,5%, 82% e 69,5% maior do que os respectivos controles, após 15, 30 e 45 semanas. O tempo de exposição à dieta hiperlipídica não promoveu alterações na gordura corporal total entre os grupos obesos; este resultado indica que, neste trabalho, não houve aumento na intensidade da obesidade ao longo do tempo. Neste estudo foram visualizadas algumas comorbidades frequentemente associadas com a obesidade... / Currently, greater than one billion people are overweight and 30% of the population is obese. Several structural and functional changes of the heart have often been associated with human obesity. Experimental models for high-fat diets have been used to study the relationship between obesity and the heart. Myocardial calcium (Ca2+) handling has been extensively studied in several experimental models and has often been shown to be related to cardiac dysfunction. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between the duration of exposure to obesity and a high-fat diet, and mRNA and proteins involved in homeostasis of myocardial Ca2+. Some studies have reported the influence of thyroid hormones on these proteins, which may cause changes in cardiac contraction and relaxation. The main objective of the current study was to test the hypothesis that the increased duration of exposure to obesity leads to a reduction in the expression and/or phosphorylation of proteins and mRNA levels related to myocardial Ca2+ handling. This study had, as additional objective, to verify if the decrease in mRNA expression was accompanied by a reduction in thyroid hormone levels. The periods of exposure to a high-fat diet used in this study were effective in promoting obesity since the adiposity index used to characterize animals as obese was 79.5%, 82%, and 69.5% higher than controls after 15, 30, and 45 weeks, respectively. The duration of exposure to a high-fat diet did not change the total body fat between the obese groups. This result indicates that there was not an increase in the intensity of obesity over time. In this study, some co-morbidities often associated with experimental obesity existed, such as glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, and dyslipidemia; however, the co-morbidities were not associated with changes in systolic blood pressure ...(Complete abstract click electronic access below)

abstract: The prevalence of obesity and obesity-related disorders have increased world-wide. In the last decade, the intestinal microbiome has become a major indicator of metabolic and gastrointestinal health. Previous research has shown that high-fat diet (HFD) consumption can alter the microbial composition of the gut by increasing the abundance of gram-positive bacteria associated with the onset of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Although, the most common form of obesity and metabolic syndrome intervention is exercise and diet, these recommendations may not improve severe cases of obesity. Thus, an important relevance of my project was to investigate whether the intake of an organometallic complex (OMC) would prevent the onset of metabolic and gastrointestinal complications associated with high-fat diet intake. I hypothesized that the consumption of a HFD for 6 weeks would promote the development of metabolic and gastrointestinal disease risk factors. Next, it was hypothesized that OMC treatment would decrease metabolic risk factors by improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing weight gain. Finally, I hypothesized that HFD-intake would increase the abundance of gram-positive bacteria associated with gastrointestinal disease. My preliminary data investigated the effects of a 6-week HFD on the development of hepatic steatosis, intestinal permeability and inflammation in male Sprague Dawley rats. I found that a 6-week HFD increases hepatic triglyceride concentrations, plasma endotoxins and promotes the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the cecum wall. I then investigated whether OMC treatment could prevent metabolic risk factors in male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a HFD for 10 weeks and found that OMC can mitigate risk factors such hyperglycemia, liver disease, impaired endothelial function, and inflammation. Lastly, I investigated the effects of a 10-week HFD on the gastrointestinal system and found an increase in liver triglycerides and free glycerol and alterations of the distal gut microbiome. My results support the hypothesis that a HFD can promote metabolic risk factors, alter the gut microbiome and increase systemic inflammation and that OMC treatment may help mitigate some of these effects. Together, these studies are among the first to demonstrate the effects of a soil-derived compound on metabolic complications. Additionally, these conclusions also provide an essential basis for future gastrointestinal and microbiome studies of OMC treatment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2019

This thesis investigates whether fats, akin to other taste stimuli, exhibit sensory properties such as mixture interactions. In order to determine gustatory, rather than tactile or olfactory effects, viscosity-controlled emulsions of deodorised oils were used as the base to which taste stimuli were incorporated and presented to a panel of trained assessors. In preliminary qualitative assessments, panellists described the 10% olive oil emulsion as saltier, stronger, fattier and having a more lingering aftertaste than the non-oil control, suggesting that oil modulates taste duration as well influencing taste intensity and/or perceived quality. Panellists were unable to rate the oil/fat taste per se with any degree of certainty hence further experiments examined the effect of oil on the perception of taste mixtures. In mixture interaction experiments, the addition of oil did not result in mixture suppression or enhancement for sweet, salty, sour or bitter while it significantly enhanced umami. To determine the locus of interaction, when MSG and oil were presented to each side of the tongue separately, the enhancement effect disappeared indicating a peripheral mechanism of interaction, similar to the attenuation of chilli burn by oil. In contrast, suprathreshold sucrose sweetness was enhanced by the contralateral presentation of oil, indicating sensory processing at a higher locus. Furthermore, the addition of oil significantly reduced bitterness in a caffeine-MSG mixture. Since earlier experiments did not indicate any interaction between oil and bitterness, the decrease in the perceived bitterness of this binary mixture is attributed to an increase in umami which is likely to have suppressed bitterness, the perceptually dominant component in this mixture. These findings suggest a gustatory role for fats in modulating the taste profile of mixtures, in particular, enhancing total taste intensity, prolonging taste duration, and enhancing umami. A taste receptor-based model of fat perception provides for an orosensory mechanism capable of signalling the arrival of the most energy-dense nutrient, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. The chemosensory signal may also be the basis for hedonic responses with subsequent implications for intake.

Hyperhomocysteinemia, an elevation of blood homocysteine levels, is a metabolic disorder associated with dysfunction of multiple organs. Previous studies have shown that hyperhomocysteinemia is related to fatty liver. However, the underlying mechanism remains speculative. The objective of the present study is to investigate the regulatory mechanism of hepatic inflammatory response and cholesterol metabolism during metabolic disorders. In the present study, hyperhomocysteinemia was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by feeding a high-methionine diet. The mRNA and protein expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a pro-inflammatory factor, were significantly elevated in the liver of hyperhomocysteinemic rats. An activation of NF-B and a stimulation of oxidative stress were observed in the same liver tissue in which COX-2 was induced. Inhibition of NF-B or oxidative stress effectively abolished hepatic COX-2 expression, inhibited the formation of inflammatory foci, and improved liver function. Activity of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis, was markedly elevated in the liver of hyperhomocysteinemic rats, which may contribute to the hepatic lipid accumulation induced by hyperhomocysteinemia. Administration of Berberine (5mg/ kg body weight/ day for 5 days) inhibited HMG-CoA reductase activity via upregulating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated phosphorylation of HMG-CoA reductase. Berberine treatment reduced hepatic cholesterol content and ameliorated liver function. In addition, the regulatory mechanism of HMG-CoA reductase activation was investigated in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet. There was a significant increase in hepatic HMG-CoA reductase mRNA and protein expression as well as enzyme activity. The DNA binding activity of sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-2 (a transcription factor of HMG-CoA reductase) and Sp1 (a transcription factor of SREBP-2) were both increased in the liver of mice fed a high-fat diet. The in vitro study in palmitic acid-treated HepG2 cells further confirmed that inhibition of Sp1 by siRNA transfection abolished palmitic acid-induced SREBP-2 and HMG-CoA reductase mRNA expression. In conclusion, the present study have demonstrated that (1) Hepatic COX-2 expression is induced via oxidative stress mediated NF-B activation during hyperhomocysteinemia; (2) Dietary berberine reduces cholesterol biosynthesis by elevating AMPK-mediated HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylation; (3) HMG-CoA reductase is upregulated by Sp1-mediated SREBP-2 activation in the liver during high-fat diet feeding.

Thirty-seven overweight/obese (BMI: 25-35 kg/m2), premenopausal women that were randomly assigned to either an ad libitum low-carbohydrate (LC) (20% CHO, 30-40% protein, 30-40% fat), or an ad libitum low-fat (LF) (55-60% CHO, 15-20% protein, 20-25% fat) diet.All subjects were given weekly menus matching their assigned macronutrient requirements to aid in meal planning and dietary compliance. Baseline and post-diet measures included height, weight, body composition (DXA), blood lipids [total cholesterol (TC), HDL, LDL, and triglycerides (TG)], and plasma insulin levels. There were no significant group differences in any of the above-listed variables prior to the study. Nineteen women completed the 6-wk study (LC=11, LF=8). Compliance to the diets was adequate as indicated by weekly 24-hr recalls and daily urinary ketone levels. Both groups lost a significant amount of weight and body flat, (P<0.05); and weight and body fat losses were not significantly different between the groups. All groups experienced similar decreases in TG, TC, LDL, HDL, and insulin levels. These results indicate a LC diet is no more effective than a LF diet in promoting favorable changes in body weight, body composition, blood lipids and insulin levels. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

This thesis investigates whether fats, akin to other taste stimuli, exhibit sensory properties such as mixture interactions. In order to determine gustatory, rather than tactile or olfactory effects, viscosity-controlled emulsions of deodorised oils were used as the base to which taste stimuli were incorporated and presented to a panel of trained assessors. In preliminary qualitative assessments, panellists described the 10% olive oil emulsion as saltier, stronger, fattier and having a more lingering aftertaste than the non-oil control, suggesting that oil modulates taste duration as well influencing taste intensity and/or perceived quality. Panellists were unable to rate the oil/fat taste per se with any degree of certainty hence further experiments examined the effect of oil on the perception of taste mixtures. In mixture interaction experiments, the addition of oil did not result in mixture suppression or enhancement for sweet, salty, sour or bitter while it significantly enhanced umami. To determine the locus of interaction, when MSG and oil were presented to each side of the tongue separately, the enhancement effect disappeared indicating a peripheral mechanism of interaction, similar to the attenuation of chilli burn by oil. In contrast, suprathreshold sucrose sweetness was enhanced by the contralateral presentation of oil, indicating sensory processing at a higher locus. Furthermore, the addition of oil significantly reduced bitterness in a caffeine-MSG mixture. Since earlier experiments did not indicate any interaction between oil and bitterness, the decrease in the perceived bitterness of this binary mixture is attributed to an increase in umami which is likely to have suppressed bitterness, the perceptually dominant component in this mixture. These findings suggest a gustatory role for fats in modulating the taste profile of mixtures, in particular, enhancing total taste intensity, prolonging taste duration, and enhancing umami. A taste receptor-based model of fat perception provides for an orosensory mechanism capable of signalling the arrival of the most energy-dense nutrient, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. The chemosensory signal may also be the basis for hedonic responses with subsequent implications for intake.