Effects of the activation of heme oxygenase-1 on hormonal and metabolic changes in rats fed a high-fat diet.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is the inducible isoform of the heme oxygenase system, which catalyzes heme degradation. Up-regulation of this enzyme under pathological conditions is associated with beneficial effects in the whole organism. However, the potential of HO-1 in the alleviation of disturbances induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) is poorly elucidated.