Context: Energy homeostasis is a primary factor for the survival of mammals. Many tissues and organs, among which is the liver, keep this homeostasis in varied circumstances, including caloric restriction (CR) and physical activity.
Objective: This study investigated glucose metabolism using the following groups of eight-week-old male Swiss mice: CS, sedentary and fed freely; RS, sedentary and RT, trained, both under 30% CR ( = 20-23 per group).
It was previously reported that liver glucose metabolism in rats under caloric restriction differs from that of freely-fed rats. This study hypothesized that these changes (1) were related to the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptides involved in metabolic control, and (2) were not a residual effect of litter size. To those purposes, liver glucose metabolism and hypothalamic expression of the orexigenic neuropeptides NPY (neuropeptide Y) and AgRP (agouti gene-related peptide); and of the anorexigenic neuropeptides POMC (pro-opiomelanocortin) and CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-related transcripts) were investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Caloric restriction since birth changes glucose metabolism by the liver in overnight-fasted rats to a fed-like pattern, in which glucose output is large but gluconeogenesis is negligible. It was investigated whether these changes could be a residual effect of the nutritional condition during lactation and what could be the mechanism of such change.
Methods: Newborn rat pups were arranged in litters of 6 or 12 (G6 and G12).
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes are considered the first line of Defence against reactive oxygen species. Among the intracellular isoforms of SOD, Cu,ZnSOD is widely distributed, and the MnSOD is localised in the mitochondria. The SOD activities have been measured indirectly by inhibiting oxidation reactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitex agnus-castus (VAC) is a plant that has recently been used to treat the symptoms of menopause, by its actions on the central nervous system. However, little is known about its actions on disturbances in lipid metabolism and nonalcoholic fat liver disease (NAFLD), frequently associated with menopause. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats exhibit increased adiposity and NAFLD 13 weeks after ovary removal and were used as animal models of estrogen deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEstrogen deficiency is associated with aging and increases the incidence of metabolic syndrome and hypertension. In this study, the effects of tibolone, a synthetic steroid, on the cardiovascular system, liver lipid metabolism, and redox status were evaluated, in ovariectomized (OVX) rats with renovascular hypertension (two-kidneys, one-clip, OVX + 2K1C). This study encompassed direct measurements of mean arterial pressure , plasma biochemical analysis, liver lipid contents, and assessments of the mitochondrial and peroxisomal β-oxidation capacities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFree Radic Biol Med
August 2012
The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of therapeutic doses of Cimicifuga racemosa on cardiovascular parameters and on liver lipid metabolism and redox status in an animal model of estrogen deficiency associated with hypertension, a condition that could make the liver more vulnerable to drug-induced injuries. Female Wistar rats were subjected to the surgical procedures of bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) and induction of renovascular hypertension (two-kidneys, one-clip; 2K1C). These animals (OVX + 2K1C) were treated with daily doses of a C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Mol Pathol
December 2011
Ketogenesis, inferred by the production of acetoacetate plus ss-hydroxybutyrate, in isolated perfused livers from 24-h fasted diabetic rats submitted to short-term insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH) was investigated. For this purpose, alloxan-diabetic rats that received intraperitoneal regular insulin (IIH group) or saline (COG group) injection were compared. An additional group of diabetic rats which received oral glucose (gavage) (100 mg kg(-1)) 15 min after insulin administration (IIH + glucose group) was included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Biochem Funct
January 2009
Gluconeogenesis in livers from overnight fasted weaned rats submitted to short-term insulin-induced hypoglycaemia (IIH) was investigated. For this purpose, a condition of hyperinsulinemia/hypoglycaemia was obtained with an intraperitoneal (ip) injection of regular insulin (1.0 U kg(-1)).
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