High-fat diet during lactation, as opposed to during adolescence or gestation, programs cardiometabolic and autonomic dysfunctions in adult offspring.

The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept has been established for three decades. Many studies have shown that, besides pregnancy, other plastic phases (mainly preconception, lactation, and infancy-adolescence) are also sensitive to environmental changes, including nutritional conditions, that can program health or disease later in life. This study compared the susceptibility of the gestation, lactation and adolescence to a high-fat diet (HFD) intervention to program rats into autonomic nervous system imbalance and cardiometabolic dysfunction in adulthood.

Early exposure to a cholinergic receptor blocking agent mitigates adult obesity and protects pancreatic islet function in male rats.

We tested the hypothesis that attenuation of the circulating insulin level in rats during early life can provide sustained protection against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction in adulthood. Male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal scopolamine butylbromide (SB) during the first 12 days of suckling, whereas control rats received 0.9% saline injections.

Hypertension induced by peri-pubertal protein restriction depends on renin-angiotensin system dysfunction in adult male rats.

Background And Aims: Hypertension depends on renin-angiotensin system dysfunction; however, little is known about its implications in the outcomes of neurogenic hypertension induced by peri-pubertal insults. This study aimed to evaluate whether hypertension induced by a peri-pubertal low-protein diet is related to renin-angiotensin system dysfunction in adult male Wistar rats.

Methods And Results: Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats were fed a low-protein diet (4 % casein) for 30 days and subsequently fed a 20.

Cannabidiol induces systemic analgesia through activation of the PI3Kγ/nNOS/NO/KATP signaling pathway in neuropathic mice. A KATP channel S-nitrosylation-dependent mechanism.

Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) is the second most abundant pharmacologically active component present in Cannabis sp. Unlike Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it has no psychotomimetic effects and has recently received significant interest from the scientific community due to its potential to treat anxiety and epilepsy. CBD has excellent anti-inflammatory potential and can be used to treat some types of inflammatory and neuropathic pain.

Epigenetic programming for obesity and noncommunicable disease: From womb to tomb.

Several epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies in recent decades have shown the relationship between exposure to stressors during development and health outcomes later in life. The characterization of these susceptible phases, such as preconception, gestation, lactation and adolescence, and the understanding of factors that influence the risk of an adult individual for developing obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, is the focus of the DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) research line. In this sense, advancements in molecular biology techniques have contributed significantly to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the observed phenotypes, their morphological and physiological alterations, having as a main driving factor the epigenetic modifications and their consequent modulation of gene expression.

Peripherally injected canabidiol reduces neuropathic pain in mice: Role of the 5-HT and TRPV1 receptors.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the most abundant non-psychoactive component found in plants of the genus Cannabis. Its analgesic effect for the treatment of neuropathy has been widely studied. However, little is known about its effects in the acute treatment when Cannabidiol is administered peripherally.

Receptors for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE): Promising Targets Aiming at the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Conditions.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are compounds formed after the non-enzymatic addition of reducing sugars to lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. They are associated with the development of various clinical complications observed in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, such as retinopathy, nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, and others. In addition, compelling evidence indicates that these molecules participate in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation During Lactation Programs the Metabolism of Adult Wistar Rats in a Sex-specific Way.

Background: The intestinal microbiota is involved in many physiological processes. However, the effects of microbiota in metabolic programming still unknow. We evaluated whether the transplantation of fecal microbiota during early life can program health or disease during adulthood in a model of lean and obese male and female Wistar rats.

Protein Restriction in the Peri-Pubertal Period Induces Autonomic Dysfunction and Cardiac and Vascular Structural Changes in Adult Rats.

Perturbations to nutrition during critical periods are associated with changes in embryonic, fetal or postnatal developmental patterns that may render the offspring more likely to develop cardiovascular disease in later life. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether autonomic nervous system imbalance underpins in the long-term hypertension induced by dietary protein restriction during peri-pubertal period. Male Wistar rats were assigned to groups fed with a low protein (4% protein, LP) or control diet (20.

Bradykinin induces peripheral antinociception in PGE-induced hyperalgesia in mice.

Background: Bradykinin (BK) is an endogenous peptide involved in vascular permeability and inflammation. It has opposite effects (inducing hyperalgesia or antinociception) when administered directly in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether BK may also present this dual effect when injected peripherally in a PGE-induced nociceptive pain model, as well as to investigate the possible mechanisms of action involved in this event in mice.

The antipsychotic aripiprazole induces peripheral antinociceptive effects through PI3Kγ/NO/cGMP/K pathway activation.

Bckground: Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Recently, its peripheral analgesic component was evaluated, however, the mechanism involved in this effect is not fully established. Therefore, the aim of the study was to obtain pharmacological evidence for the involvement of the nitric oxide system in the peripheral antinociceptive effect induced by aripiprazole.

Lean in one way, in obesity another: effects of moderate exercise in brown adipose tissue of early overfed male Wistar rats.

Background: Early postnatal overfeeding (PO) induces long-term overweight and reduces brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Exercise has been suggested as a possible intervention to increase BAT function. In this study, we investigated chronical effects of moderate-intensity exercise in BAT function in postnatal overfed male Wistar rats METHODS: Litters' delivery was on postnatal-day 0 - PN0.

Early postnatal overnutrition impairs VO gains with moderate exercise and increase post-exercise muscle damage in adult male rats.

Exercise counteracts obesity effects, but information on how early-life obesity may affect long-term adaptation to exercise is lacking. This study investigates the impact of early-life postnatal overfeeding (PO) on animals' adaptation to exercise. Only male Wistar rats were used.

Diversity of molecular targets and signaling pathways for CBD.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the second most abundant component of the Cannabis plant and is known to have effects distinct from Δ -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Many studies that examined the behavioral effects of CBD concluded that it lacks the psychotomimetic effects attributed to THC. However, CBD was shown to have a broad spectrum of effects on several conditions such as anxiety, inflammation, neuropathic pain, and epilepsy.

Peripheral antinociception induced by ketamine is mediated by the endogenous opioid system.

Ketamine is a drug largely used in clinical practice as an anesthetic and it can also be used as an analgesic to manage chronic pain symptoms. Despite its interactions with several other signaling systems such as cholinergic, serotoninergic and adrenergic, it is accepted that NMDA receptor antagonism is the main mechanism of action of this drug. In this study we investigated the actions of endogenous opioids in the mechanism of peripheral analgesia induced by ketamine.

Environmental monitoring and the developmental origins of health and disease.

Early-life chronic exposure to environmental contaminants, such as bisphenol-A, particulate matter air pollution, organophosphorus pesticides, and pharmaceutical drugs, among others, may affect central tissues, such as the hypothalamus, and peripheral tissues, such as the endocrine pancreas, causing inflammation and apoptosis with severe implications to the metabolism. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept articulates events in developmental phases of life, such as intrauterine, lactation, and adolescence, to later-life metabolism and health. These developmental phases are more susceptible to environmental changes, such as those caused by environmental contaminants, which may predispose individuals to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and chronic noncommunicable diseases later in life.

Moderate Physical Training Ameliorates Cardiovascular Dysfunction Induced by High Fat Diet After Cessation of Training in Adult Rats.

We aimed to test whether moderate physical training can induce long-lasting protection against cardiovascular risk factors induced by high fat diet (HFD) intake, even after cessation of training. 90-days-old Wistar rats were submitted to a sedentary lifestyle or moderate physical training, three times a week, for 30 days. Following this, at 120 days-of age, sedentary and trained rats received a hypercaloric diet (HFD) or a commercial diet normal fat diet (NFD) for 30 days.

Strength training reverses ovariectomy-induced bone loss and improve metabolic parameters in female Wistar rats.

Menopause induces osteoporosis, sarcopenia, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Ovariectomized (OVX) rat is an animal model, which mimetics postmenopausal conditions. The present study aimed to test the effects of strength training protocol on bone mineral density and metabolic parameters in OVX rats.

Maternal low-protein diet during lactation combined with early overfeeding impair male offspring's long-term glucose homeostasis.

Purpose: The early-life nutritional environment affects long-term glucose homeostasis, we investigated the effects of maternal low-protein diet combined with postnatal early overfeeding on the male offspring's glucose homeostasis in adulthood.

Methods: Only male rats were used, and their delivery was considered postnatal-day 0 (PN0). Wistar rats' dams were divided into control (NP) or low-protein diet (LP).

Aerobic Exercise Training Attenuates Tumor Growth and Reduces Insulin Secretion in Walker 256 Tumor-Bearing Rats.

Aerobic exercise training can improve insulin sensitivity in many tissues; however, the relationship among exercise, insulin, and cancer cell growth is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that aerobic exercise training begun during adolescence can attenuate Walker 256 tumor growth in adult rats and alter insulin secretion. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats engaged in treadmill running for 8 weeks, 3 days/week, 44 min/day, at 55-65% VO until they were 90 days old (TC, Trained Control).

Maternal low intensity physical exercise prevents obesity in offspring rats exposed to early overnutrition.

Low intensity exercise during pregnancy and lactation may create a protective effect against the development of obesity in offspring exposed to overnutrition in early life. To test these hypotheses, pregnant rats were randomly assigned into 2 groups: Sedentary and Exercised, low intensity, on a rodent treadmill at 30% VO /30-minute/session/3x/week throughout pregnancy and the lactation. Male offspring were raised in small litters (SL, 3 pups/dam) and normal litters (NL, 9 pups/dam) as models of early overnutrition and normal feed, respectively.

Glibenclamide treatment blocks metabolic dysfunctions and improves vagal activity in monosodium glutamate-obese male rats.

Background/aims: Autonomic nervous system imbalance is associated with metabolic diseases, including diabetes. Glibenclamide is an antidiabetic drug that acts by stimulating insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells and is widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Since there is scarce data concerning autonomic nervous system activity and diabetes, the aim of this work was to test whether glibenclamide can improve autonomic nervous system activity and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor function in pre-diabetic obese male rats.

Early treatment with metformin induces resistance against tumor growth in adult rats.

It is known that antidiabetic drug metformin, which is used worldwide, has anti-cancer effects and can be used to prevent cancer growth. We tested the hypothesis that tumor cell growth can be inhibited by early treatment with metformin. For this purpose, adult rats chronically treated with metformin in adolescence or in adulthood were inoculated with Walker 256 carcinoma cells.

Short-term moderate exercise provides long-lasting protective effects against metabolic dysfunction in rats fed a high-fat diet.

Introduction: A sedentary lifestyle and high-fat feeding are risk factors for cardiometabolic disorders. This study determined whether moderate exercise training prevents the cardiometabolic changes induced by a high-fat diet (HFD).

Materials And Methods: Sixty-day-old rats were subjected to moderate exercise three times a week for 30 days.

Early overfeed-induced obesity leads to brown adipose tissue hypoactivity in rats.

Background/aims: Brown adipose tissue activation has been considered a potential anti-obesity mechanism because it is able to expend energy through thermogenesis. In contrast, white adipose tissue stores energy, contributing to obesity. We investigated whether the early programming of obesity by overfeeding during lactation changes structure of interscapular brown adipose tissue in adulthood and its effects on thermogenesis.