Role of IL-18 in adipose tissue remodeling and metabolic dysfunction.

Background/objectives: Proinflammatory cytokines are increased in obese adipose tissue, including inflammasome key masters. Conversely, IL-18 protects against obesity and metabolic dysfunction. We focused on the IL-18 effect in controlling adipose tissue remodeling and metabolism.

Chia oil supplementation changes body composition and activates insulin signaling cascade in skeletal muscle tissue of obese animals.

Objective: Chia seed oil is the richest source of plant-based ω-3 fatty acid, α-linolenic acid, but its potential and mechanisms of action to treat obesity are unclear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of chia oil (ChOi) supplementation on body composition and insulin signaling in skeletal muscles of obese mice.

Methods: Male C57 BL/6 mice (n = 8/group) were fed regular control chow or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 135 d.

Effect of obesity on biodistribution of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles have specific features (lipophilicity, surface charge, composition and size). Studies regarding the biological behavior of nanoparticles in diseases such diabetics and obesity are scarce. Here, we evaluated two nanoparticles: magnetic core mesoporous silica (MSN) (58 nm) and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticle (280 nm) in obese mice.

Differential Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Status and Placental Transport in Adolescent Pregnancies.

Adolescent pregnancy increases risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Placental delivery of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) is essential for fetal growth and development. In this pilot study, we aimed to assess maternal and fetal status of fatty acids (FA) measured at birth and the expression of key genes involved in FA uptake, transport and metabolism in the placenta of fifteen adolescents and fifteen adults.

Obesity modifies bone marrow microenvironment and directs bone marrow mesenchymal cells to adipogenesis.

Objective: To investigate the role of obesity on the bone marrow microenvironment and evaluate its possible impact on the adipogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC).

Methods: C57BL/6 male mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks. Femurs and tibiae were collected, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) were isolated and analyzed for proliferative potential, immunophenotype, and expression of adipogenesis markers.

Microparticles derived from obese adipose tissue elicit a pro-inflammatory phenotype of CD16, CCR5 and TLR8 monocytes.

Macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue (AT) is a hallmark of the chronic inflammatory response in obesity and is supported by an intense monocyte migration towards AT. Although it has been detected an increased proportion of circulating CD16 monocyte subsets in obese subjects, the mechanisms underlying this effect and the contribution of these cells to the inflamed profile of obese AT are still poorly understood. We investigated whether factors secreted by human obese omental AT could polarize monocytes to CD16 enriched phenotype, and how these changes could modify their migratory capacity towards adipose tissue itself.

Increased leptin response and inhibition of apoptosis in thymocytes of young rats offspring from protein deprived dams during lactation.

We investigated the consequences of mild maternal malnutrition in rat dams, in terms of thymocyte responses and the putative role of leptin. The young progeny of dams submitted to protein deprivation (PD) during lactation showed at 30 days of age lower body and thymus weights, significant alterations in CD4/CD8-defined T cell subsets without modifications in total thymocyte number as well as in proliferative response. Despite, the rats from PD group did not present alterations in leptin circulating levels, the expression of leptin receptor ObRb was enhanced in their thymocytes.

Vitamin A modulates the expression of genes involved in iron bioavailability.

Iron bioavailability seems to be regulated by vitamin A (VA) but the molecular events involved in this mechanism are not well understood. It is also known that retinoids mediate most of their function via interaction with retinoid receptors, which act as ligand-activated transcription factors controlling the expression of a number of target genes. Here, we evaluated the VA effects on the modulation of the levels of mRNA encoding proteins involved in the iron bioavailability, whether in the intestinal absorption process or in the liver iron metabolism.

Maternal protein restriction during early lactation induces GLUT4 translocation and mTOR/Akt activation in adipocytes of adult rats.

Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated that early postnatal nutrition has been associated with long-term effects on glucose homeostasis in adulthood. Recently, our group demonstrated that undernutrition during early lactation affects the expression and activation of key proteins of the insulin signaling cascade in rat skeletal muscle during postnatal development. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which undernutrition during early life leads to changes in insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues, we investigated the insulin signaling in adipose tissue.

Light cigarette smoke-induced emphysema and NFkappaB activation in mouse lung.

Light cigarette (LC) exposure is supposed to be less hazardous with a decreased incidence of cancer and tobacco-associated diseases. C57BL/6 mouse groups were subjected to smoke from 3, 6 or 12 LC for 60 days and compared with mice exposed to ambient air (EAA) in order to study lung injury by morphometrical and biochemical methods. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) analysis and histology and stereology were performed.