Lipectomy associated to obesity produces greater fat accumulation in the visceral white adipose tissue of female compared to male rats.

Background: Mobility of fat deposited in adipocytes among different fatty territories can play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases. Our goal was to investigate which of the remaining fat pads assume the role of accumulating lipids after surgical removal of parietal WAT (lipectomy; LIPEC) in rats of both sexes displaying MSG-induced obesity.

Methods: The animals entered the study straight after birth, being separated according to gender and randomly divided into CON (control, saline-treated) and MSG (monosodium glutamate-treated) groups.

Effects of captopril on cardiovascular reflexes and respiratory mechanisms in rats submitted to monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a disease associated with increased arteriolar resistance in the lungs. Due to hypoxemia, some physiological mechanisms can be posteriorly affected, including respiratory and cardiovascular reflexes, but this has not yet been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate how these mechanisms were affected by monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH and the possible therapeutic role of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi), captopril, in reversing this remodeling process.