Master of Science / Agricultural Economics / John A. Fox / This study examines consumer acceptance of omega-3 enhanced beef using data from a choice experiment and a retail trial. The retail trial was conducted in collaboration with La Vaca Meat Company, Littleton, CO which offered omega-3 enhanced beef products for sale both online and in-store. Prices were adjusted periodically, and online customers were surveyed to gather information about their purchase decisions. The choice experiment was included in an online survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of consumers. One version of the survey focused on ground beef and another focused on steak. Within each version separate treatments examined the impact of providing information about how levels of the most beneficial omega-3s could be enhanced in beef. The choice experiment evaluated how variation in meat attributes such as omega-3 content, safety, and tenderness influenced purchase decisions. Data from the choice experiment were analyzed using multinomial logit models. Results indicate that overall acceptance and willingness to pay for omega-3 enhanced beef was below that of grass-fed beef. Additional information about omega-3s increased willingness-to-pay for enhanced omega ground beef, but had no impact on willingness-to-pay for enhanced omega steak. The analysis showed significant heterogeneity in preferences, and, in particular, females had significantly higher willingness-to-pay for grass-fed ground beef than males. Average willingness-to-pay for grass-fed steak was estimated at $3.69/lb above conventionally raised product, compared to an estimated premium of $1.86/lb for enhanced omega steak. For ground beef the average premium for grass-fed product was estimated to be $1.27/lb compared to $0.79/lb for the enhanced omega product.

A aterosclerose é um processo inflamatório que se inicia na infância e progride com a idade, sendo o principal processo patológico que culmina nas doenças cardiovasculares. Ácidos graxos ômega 3 (N-3 FA) reduzem triacilgliceróis plasmáticos e inflamação, enquanto fitosteróis possuem ação hipocolesterolêmica. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi de aplicar a combinação dessas duas classes de lipídios bioativos na infância, visando reduzir a aterosclerose na fase adulta. O estudo foi dividido em duas etapas. Inicialmente, o efeito de três ingredientes contendo N-3 FA foi avaliado em termos de perfil lipídico e biomarcadores inflamatórios. Camundongos adultos LDLr Knockout receberam uma dieta hiperlipídica e foram simultaneamente suplementados com água (CON), óleo de algas (ALG), óleo de peixe (FIS) e óleo de Echium (ECH) através de gavagem durante 4 semanas. Os animais suplementados com óleo de Echium apresentaram os maiores índices de redução de triacilgliceróis e VLDL, além de inibição da esteatose causada pelo dieta hiperlipídica. Entretanto, diferente dos óleos marinhos, tais efeitos não envolveram ativação de fatores de transcrição envolvidos no metabolismo lipídico, como PPARα e LXRα hepáticos. Na segunda etapa deste estudo, camundongos Knockout LDLr recém-desmamados foram suplementados durante 2 meses com emulsões preparadas com óleo de soja (CON), óleo de de Echium (ECH), óleo de alga (ALG), fitosteróis isolados (PHY), óleo de alga + fitosteróis (ALG+PHY) e óleo de Echium + fitosteróis (ECH+PHY). A seguir, dislipidemia e estresse oxidativo foram induzidos através de uma dieta hiperlipídica por mais 2 meses. Todos os animais apresentaram estrias gordurosas na aorta, sendo que a área de lesão foi maior naqueles suplementados com fitosteróis isoladamente (PHY). Entretanto, esse efeito negativo foi totalmente revertido pela co-suplementação com N-3 FA. Observou-se que os fitosteróis isolados agiram como agonistas de LXRα, e que a reversão proporcionada pelos N-3 FA envolveu aumento da expressão do fator de transcrição PPARα e redução do aumento de LXRα. Além disso, o óleo de Echium reduziu o estresse oxidativo no fígado através de mecanismos associados à modulação da atividade e expressão de enzimas antioxidantes. Nossos resultados sugerem que a melhor alternativa no desenvolvimento de alimentos funcionais para crianças, visando prevenção de aterosclerose na fase adulta, foi conferida pelos N-3 FA provenientes do óleo de Echium. / Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process that begins in childhood and progresses with age, being the main pathological process that culminates in cardiovascular disease. Omega 3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) reduces triacylglycerol (TG) and inflammation, while phytosterols present hypocholesterolemic action. Therefore, the aim of this study was to apply the combination of these two classes of bioactive lipids in childhood to reduce atherosclerosis in adulthood. The study was divided into two steps. Initially, the effect of three ingredients containing n-3 FA was evaluated in terms of lipid and inflammatory biomarkers. LDLr knockout adult mice received a high-fat diet and were simultaneously supplemented with water (CON), algae oil (ALG), fish oil (FIS) and Echium oil (ECH) by gavage for 4 weeks. The animals supplemented with Echium oil presented higher reduction of TG and VLDL. Besides, Echium oil inhibited hepatic steatosis caused by high-fat diet. However, unlike of marine oils, this hypotriglyceridemic effect did not involve activation of transcription factors associated to lipid metabolism, such as PPARα and LXRα. At the second step of this study, weaning LDLr knockout mice were supplemented with emulsions prepared with soybean oil (CON), Echium oil (ECH), algae oil (ALG), isolated phytosterols (PHY), algae oil + phytosterols (ALG + PHY) and Echium oil + phytosterols (PHY + ECH) for 2 months. Thereafter, dyslipidemia and oxidative stress were induced by a high fat diet for 2 months more. All animals showed fatty streaks in the aorta artery. The lesion area was greatest in mice supplemented with isolated phytosterol (PHY). However, this negative effect was completely reversed by co-supplementation with n-3 FA. It was observed that isolated phytosterols acted as LXRα agonists, and that the reversal provided by the N-3 FA involved the increase of PPARα and reduction of LXRα expression. Furthermore, the Echium oil reduced oxidative stress in liver through mechanisms associated with modulation of antioxidant enzymes activity and expression. Our results suggest that the best alternative to develop functional foods for children, aimed at preventing atherosclerosis in adulthood, was conferred by the N-3 FA from Echium oil.

Orientador: Maria Cristina Cintra Gomes Marcondes / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T11:32:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pertile_Tatiane_M.pdf: 1613871 bytes, checksum: 2d715c00e32e2a411050801a7a1ac95f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: O câncer pode promover a morte do hospedeiro, pois durante sua evolução há modificações da homeostasia dos processos metabólicos, promovendo profundas alterações caracterizadas como caquexia, que por sua vez relaciona-se à diminuição da qualidade e do tempo de vida do hospedeiro. Assim, no presente estudo, analisamos os efeitos da evolução do crescimento de neoplasia - carcinossarcoma de Walker 256 - em ratos jovens e adultos e os efeitos modulatórios do tratamento desses animais com EPA (ácido eicosapentaenóico) sobre o processo de caquexia e a concentração de citocinas anti e proinflamatórias no músculo gastrocnêmio, pois o tecido muscular é o tecido mais afetado no processo de caquexia. Foram utilizados 108 ratos Wistar machos, com idade de 30 dias (jovens) e 100 dias (adultos), os quais foram distribuídos de acordo com o local de implante tumoral, intraperitônio e subcutâneo, e tratamento ou não com ácido eicosapentaenóico, 100?g/Kg de peso corpóreo. Os animais receberam gavagem diária do EPA (animais tratados) ou de óleo mineral (grupos sem tratamento) até a fase pré-agônica. A partir dos órgãos coletados, foram calculados o ganho de peso corpóreo, os pesos relativos de cada órgão, do tumor e da carcaça. Com o objetivo de identificarmos a via de degradação protéica predominante nos grupos experimentais, foram avaliados, no tecido muscular, o teor de proteína muscular total e as atividades das seguintes enzimas: chymotrypsin-like, catepsinas B e H, calpaína e fosfatase alcalina,. A partir do sangue desses animais foram feitas análises fluorimétricas do fator de crescimento semelhante à insulina (IGF) e das citocinas - interleucinas 4 (IL-4), 6 (IL-6) e 10 (IL-10), interferon gama (INF-?) e leptina, utilizando-se kits específicos para citômetro de fluxo de fluorescência (Luminex). Também foi analisada a expressão gênica, no tecido muscular, por reação em cadeia da polimerase em tempo real (PCR-RT), para a via proteossômica e também para os fatores eucarióticos de inicialização. Os dados indicam efeitos modulatórios do EPA sobre o tecido muscular (manutenção da proteína e do peso), principalmente para os grupos jovens, e também no processo inflamatório crônico (aumento de citocinas pró e antiinflamatórias). Entretanto, efeitos mais expressivos do EPA não foram verificados na prevenção da espoliação de gordura (gordura perirrenal e leptina), no processo de síntese protéica (manutenção da expressão gênica de fatores eucarióticos de inicialização) ou também sobre a via proteossômica / Abstract: Cancer can promotes the host death, because during its evolution there are modifications in metabolic processes of homeostasis, promoting deep changes characterized as cachexia, which in turn relates with reduction in quality and lifetime of the host. Thus, in this study, we analyze the effects of development in Walker 256 carcinoma evolution - in young and adults rats and the modulatory effect of treatment with EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) in gastrocnemius muscle as this tissue is the most affected in the cachexia process. Wistar males rats were used (n=108 animals), 30 days-old (young) and 100 days-old (adults), which were distributed according to the tumour implant, intraperitoneally and subcutaneously and treatment or not with eicosapentaenoic acid, 100 ?g/Kg of body weight. The animals receive daily EPA by gavage (treated animals) or nujol (sham groups) and were cared up to pre-agonic state. The bodies weight were measured and the body weight gain was calculated, as well the relative weights of tissues, tumour, and carcass. In order to identify the predominant pathway of protein degradation the total muscle protein content and proteolytic enzymes activities (chymotrypsin-like, cathepsin B and H, calpain and alkaline phosphatase) were measured in gastrocnemius muscle. The blood samples were assessed to measure the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), leptin and the cytokines - interleukins (IL-4), 6 (IL-6) and 10 (IL-10), gamma interferon (INF-?), using specific kits for cytometer fluorescence (Luminex). It was also examined gene expression, in the muscle tissue, by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), assessing keys of ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and also on the eukaryotic initiation factors. The data indicated some modulatory effects of EPA on the muscle tissue (maintenance of protein and weight), mainly for the young rats, and also the chronic inflammatory process. However, more expressive effects of EPA have not been verified as preventing fat wasting (perirenal fat and leptin), nor in the process of protein synthesis (maintenance of eukaryotic initiating factors gene expression) or also in the ubiquitin-proteasome via / Mestrado / Fisiologia / Mestre em Biologia Funcional e Molecular

Ageing is accompanied by a progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength which may lead to impaired ability to perform activities of daily living in older adults. Although the exact cause of the gradual decline in muscle mass is unknown, identifying efficient strategies aiming to prevent age-related loss of muscle mass and strength is important in order to promote healthy ageing. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the effects of resistance training alone or combined with a healthy diet on skeletal muscle mass and function of healthy recreationally active older women and to determine mechanisms by which elevated systemic inflammation may contribute to the age-related decline of muscle mass in older adults. The combination of resistance training and a healthy diet induced gains in leg lean mass as well as greater gains in dynamic explosive force than resistance training alone in healthy recreationally active older women. The observed gains in leg lean mass were accompanied by increases in the size of type IIA muscle fibres together with down-regulation in gene expression of a pro-inflammatory factor (IL-1β) and upregulation in gene expression of a regulator of cellular growth (mTOR) in skeletal muscle of older women. Additionally, reduced muscle protein synthesis and size of muscle cells may mediate the detrimental effects of elevated circulating markers of inflammation on muscle mass in older adults. In conclusion, the present thesis depicts mechanistic links between elevated systemic marker of inflammation and muscle mass and provides new information on the effects of combined resistance training and healthy diet on muscle mass and strength in a group of healthy recreationally active older women. This knowledge is instrumental for development of strategies aiming to prevent age-related loss of muscle mass and function.

Omega 3 poly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have been shown to protect against sudden cardiac death following myocardial infarction and reduce the risk of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with heart failure. At the inception of this study, there was one clinical study that reported n-3 PUFA supplementation reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) following CABG. As AF is a very common arrhythmia and as there are no safe and effective means of preventing AF, we designed this study to further validate the findings of the previous study in a more robust study design. In addition, this study also aimed to evaluate the cellular changes that underpin the beneficial anti-arrhythmic effect of n-3 PUFA.The outcome of this study shows that n-3 PUFA does not reduce the risk of AF following CABG. However, short term supplementation with n-3 PUFA reliably increases the membrane incorporation in phospholipids and results in alteration in the expression levels of cardiac calcium handling proteins phospholamban and ryanodine receptors. In addition, such incorporation in animal (rat) ventricular myocytes leads to changes in the rate of decay of the systolic calcium transient and an increase in the amplitude of the caffeine induced calcium transient thereby indicating a greater activity of SERCA. These findings needs further evaluation but is clearly interesting as the clinical situations where n-3 PUFA have been shown to be anti-arrhythmic are situations where cellular calcium overload is the main mechanism of arrhythmogenesis.

Orientador: Maria Cristina Cintra Gomes Marcondes / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T06:12:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Miyaguti_NataliaAngelodaSilva_M.pdf: 7149513 bytes, checksum: e738b40c2027a8507e7b5ae2e65321e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O Resumo poderá ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digital / Abstract: The Abstract is available with the full electronic digital document / Mestrado / Fisiologia / Mestra em Biologia Funcional e Molecular

Orientador: Rejane Maira Góes / Resumo: O câncer de próstata (CaP) é um dos tipos mais recorrentes de câncer em homens e o consumo excessivo de lipídeos saturados favorece o seu desenvolvimento. Ao contrário, dietas ricas em ácidos graxos poli-insaturados (PUFA) tipo ômega-3 (n-3) tem sido associadas com menor incidência do CaP. O presente trabalho avaliou as repercussões do consumo de ácidos graxos PUFAs n-3 da série marinha, ácido docosahexaenoico (DHA) e ácido eicosapentaenoico (EPA), sobre a progressão tumoral na próstata ventral de camundongos transgênicos para o adenocarcinoma de próstata (TRAMP). Camundongos TRAMP foram alimentados com dieta padrão e eutanasiados com 8 (C8), 12 (C12) e 20 (C20) semanas de vida ou então alimentados com uma dieta rica em óleo de peixe (10% óleo de peixe) a partir da oitava semana de vida e então eutanasiados com 12 (T12) ou 20 semanas (T20). Os resultados adquiridos demonstraram o aumento na proliferação celular bem como na expressão tecidual do receptor de andrógeno (AR) e glicocorticoide (GR) e no número de linfócitos T na próstata dos grupos controles conforme o aumento da idade e da agressividade das lesões. A intervenção dietética com PUFAs n-3 proporcionou a preservação do microambiente glandular levando a uma menor frequência de lesões proliferativas, indicando um atraso na progressão tumoral, onde foi observado níveis de proliferação celular, da expressão tecidual de AR e GR e de linfócitos T inferiores que seus controles de mesma idade. Ainda, o consumo de DHA/EPA pro... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most frequent cancers among male individual and saturated lipid intake is linked to its development. However, diets rich in omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) have been associated to lower PCa development risk. The present study assessed the outcome of the marine n-3 PUFA intake, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), upon tumor progression at the transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP). TRAMP mice were chow-fed and euthanized at 8 (C8), 12 (C12) and 20th (C20) week of age or fed with a fish oil-enriched diet from 8 to 12 (T12) or 20th (T20) week of age and then euthanized. The results indicated an increase in proliferation rate, tissue expression of androgen receptor (AR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the number of T-cells at the prostate of the control groups according to the increase of age and aggressiveness of the lesions. Dietary intervention with n-3 PUFA led to the maintenance of the glandular microenvironment, highlighted by a reduction of the frequency of proliferative lesions, indicating a delay in PCa progression whereas the levels of cell proliferation, tissue expression of AR and GR and the number of T-cells were lower than the control groups of the same age. Also, DHA/EPA intake promoted a lowering effect of serum triglycerides and cholesterol, improving the metabolic profile of these animals. Thereby incorporation o DHA/EPA on diet is capable of decrease the severity o... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) relieve the symptoms of a wide variety of chronic inflammatory disorders. Typically, they must be obtained in the diet from sources such as fish oils. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of these n-3 PUFAs. As yet the structural mechanism responsible for the health benefits within the body is not completely understood. One model that has emerged from biochemical and imaging studies of cells suggests that n-3 PUFAs are taken up into phospholipids in the plasma membrane. Thus the focus here is on the plasma membrane as a site of potential structural modification by DHA. Within cellular membranes, the huge variety of molecules (called lipids) which constitute the membrane suggest inhomogeneous mixing, thus domain formation. One potential domain of interest is called the lipid raft, which is primarily composed of sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol (chol). Here the molecular organization of [2H31]-N-palmitoylsphingomyelin (PSM-d31) mixed with 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatylcholine (PDPC) or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), as a monounsaturated control, and cholesterol (chol) (1:1:1 mol) in a model membrane was examined by solid state 2H NMR spectroscopy. Solid state 2H NMR spectroscopy extracts details of molecular orientation and anisotropy of molecular reorientation by analysis of the lineshape. This essentially non-invasive technique allows for a direct measurement of dynamics in bulk materials which has been extensively applied to biological materials. It is a niche area of NMR for which standard software often lack necessary features. Two software programs, “EchoNMR processor” and “EchoNMR simulator”, collectively known as “EchoNMR tools”, that were developed to quickly process and analyze one-dimensional solid-state NMR data, will be described along with some theoretical background of the techniques used. EchoNMR tools has been designed with a focus on usability and the open-source mindset. This is achieved in the in the MATLAB® programming environment which allows for the development of the graphical user interfaces and runs as an interpreter which allows the code to be open-source. The research described here on model membranes demonstrates the utility of the software. The NMR spectra for PSM-d31 in mixtures with PDPC or POPC with cholesterol were interpreted in terms of the presence of nano-sized SM-rich/chol-rich (raft-like) and PC-rich/chol-poor (non-raft) domains that become larger when POPC was replaced by PDPC. An increase in the differential in order and/or thickness between the two types of domains is responsible. The observation of separate signals from PSM-d31, and correspondingly from [3α-2H1]cholesterol (chol-d1) and 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine (PDPC-d31), attributed to the raft-like and non-raft domains enabled the determination of the composition of the domains. Most of the SM (84%) and cholesterol (88%) was found in the raft-like domain. There was also a substantial amount of PDPC (70%) in the raft-like domain that appears to have minimal effect on the order of SM. PDPC molecules sequestering into small groups to minimize the contact of DHA chains with cholesterol is one possible explanation that would also have implications on raft continuity. These results refine the understanding of how DHA may modulate the structure of raft domains in membranes.

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