Resumo: O diabetes mellitus resulta de uma complexa interação entre vários graus de susceptibilidade genética e fatores ambientais. Sua principal característica é a secreção deficiente de insulina (hipoinsulinemia), ou ainda a baixa sensibilidade dos tecidos periféricos a este hormônio, fatos que resultam em uma elevação característica nos níveis de glicose no sangue (hiperglicemia). O diabetes tipo I caracteriza-se pela hipoinsulinemia, sendo acompanhado por alterações metabólicas e bioquímicas, além de prejuízos morfológicos em diversos tecidos, como o fígado e o intestino grosso. A prática regular de exercícios é reconhecida como um fator preventivo muito importante para os casos de diabetes, aumentando a sensibilidade e resposta à insulina e diminuindo sua necessidade em indivíduos diabéticos. A fim de analisar estas alterações, ratos Wistar foram distribuídos em quatro grupos: controle sedentário (CS), controle treinado (CT), diabético sedentário (DS) e diabético treinado (DT). O diabetes foi induzido por aloxana monoidratada Sigma. Amostras de fígado e intestino grosso foram coletadas para a realização de técnicas histoquímicas e ultraestruturais. Desta forma, este estudo teve como objetivo principal investigar os prejuízos provenientes do desenvolvimento do diabetes nos tecidos analisados e, a partir desta análise, avaliar os efeitos do treinamento físico na amenização ou prevenção destas alterações. Resultados histoquímicos bastante expressivos foram encontrados no fígado, principalmente em relação ao acúmulo de glicogênio e de fibras colágenas perisinusoidais nas células hepáticas que, após a realização de treinamento físico moderado, atingiram níveis mais próximos dos considerados normais. Os resultados ultraestruturais demonstraram grandes alterações na presença de mitocôndrias e retículo... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Diabetes mellitus results from a complex interaction between various degrees of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. Its main feature is a deficient insulin secretion (hypoinsulinemia), or the low sensitivity of peripheral tissues to this hormone, facts that result in a characteristic elevation of blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia). Type I diabetes is characterized by hypoinsulinemia, and is followed by metabolic and biochemical alterations, besides morphological impairment in various tissues, such as liver and large intestine. Regular exercise is recognized as an important preventative factor in cases of diabetes, increasing sensitivity and response to insulin and decreasing its necessity in diabetic individuals. In order to analyze these changes, Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Sedentary Controls (SC), Trained Controls (TC), Sedentary Diabetics (SD) and Trained Diabetics (TD). Diabetes was induced by monohydrate alloxan Sigma. Liver and large intestine samples were collected for carrying out histochemical and ultrastructural techniques. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the damage proceeding from the development of diabetes in the analyzed tissues and evaluate, from this analysis, the effects of physical training in alleviating or preventing these changes. Very promising histochemical results were found in the liver, especially related to the accumulation of glycogen and perisinusoidal collagen fibers in liver cells that, after performing moderate physical training, reached levels near those considered normal. Ultrastructural results showed important variations in the presence of mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum in the cytosol of diabetic rats' hepatocytes. Slight recovery was observed as result of exercise. Large intestine, in turn, presented significant histochemical changes in the amount of mucin secreted, besides alterations... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Flávio Henrique Caetano / Coorientador: Ricardo José Gomes / Banca: Dimitrius Leonardo Pitol / Banca: Fernando José Zara / Mestre

In the human gut, bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers and proteins produces metabolites, primarily as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), that are highly beneficial for host health. However, unlike dietary fiber, bacterial fermentation of protein additionally generates potentially toxic substances such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, amines, and indoles. It is believed that most gut bacteria favor utilization of dietary fiber over that of protein for energy. Therefore, when fermentable dietary fiber is readily available to colonic bacteria, protein fermentation, and its subsequent potentially toxic metabolites, remains relatively low. Dietary intake primarily determines the quantity of dietary fiber and protein substrate available to the gut microbiota and the resulting profile of metabolites produced. Increased protein consumption is associated with deleterious health outcomes such as higher risk of colorectal cancer and type II diabetes. Conversely, diets following US dietary recommendations are high in fiber, which promote a healthy microbiome and are protective against disease. Diets following the recommendation are also moderate in protein intake so that, ultimately, far more fiber than protein is available for colonic bacterial fermentation. On the contrary, dietary fiber intake is chronically low in a standard Western diet, while protein consumption is above dietary recommendations, which results in nearly equal amounts of dietary fiber and protein available for gut microbial fermentation. Furthermore, the popularity of high-protein diets for athletes, as well as that of high-protein low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss, may flip fiber and protein substrate proportions upside down, resulting in more protein than fiber available in the gut for fermentation. The objective of this study was to elucidate how substrate ratios in protein-fiber mixtures affect protein fermentation and metabolites, as well as examine the degree to which fiber source may influence these outcomes. Each dietary fiber source [fructooligosaccharides (FOS), apple pectin (Pectin), a wheat bran and raw potato starch mixture (WB+PS), and an even mixture of the three aforementioned fibers (Even Mix)] and protein were combined in three ratios and provided as substrate for in vitro fecal fermentation to understand how low, medium, and high fiber inclusion levels influence fermentation outcomes. They were compared to 100% protein and fiber (each different fiber) controls. Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), metabolites produced exclusively from protein fermentation, were used as a measure of protein fermentation; the data were normalized based on the initial quantity of protein within the substrate. In protein-fiber substrate mixtures, only FOS and Even Mix inhibited BCFAs (mM/g protein basis) and only when they made up at least half of the substrate. Unexpectedly, the rate of protein fermentation was increased when the protein-fiber substrate contained 25% WB+PS fiber, possibly due to the starch component of the fiber. There was evidence that when pH drops during fermentation, as was the case for protein-FOS mixtures, it played a significant role in suppressing protein fermentation. Ammonia production was not largely affected by increasing the proportion of dietary fiber. A significant reduction did not occur until FOS made up at least 50% of the protein-fiber substrate; for Pectin, WB+PS, and Even Mix fibers, 75% inclusion was required for a significant decrease in ammonia. Interestingly, protein was butyrogenic. Protein as the sole substrate produced more butyrate than either Pectin or Even Mix as the sole substrates, and in fact, addition of Pectin to protein significantly reduced butyrate concentrations. However, the possible benefits of butyrate produced via protein fermentation needs to be tempered by the production of potentially toxic compounds and the association between protein fermentation and colorectal cancer. Overall, the thesis findings showed protein fermentation to be relatively stable and not easily influenced by increasing the availability of dietary fiber, and no clear evidence of microbial preference for carbohydrates over protein was found.