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Obesogenic diets are known to induce obesity and changes in food intake in experimental animals. Obesity negatively affects the peripheral metabolism and neural aspects, such as changes in eating behavior. In obese animals, dopamine (DA) receptor levels are reduced. DA is one of the main peptides involved in the motivation and pleasure of eating. A combination of naltrexone/bupropion (NB) has shown promise in controlling metabolic alterations, but there are few studies on how they modulate dopaminergic expression. NB, in addition to reducing food intake and body weight, can modify tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) and DA receptor D2 (Drd2) levels in the mesolimbic areas of rats submitted to a high-fat diet (HF). The study evaluated the effect of NB on food intake, body weight, and expression levels of Th, Drd1a, and Drd2, in the nucleus accumbens and striatum of rats fed on HF diet. Wistar rats were grouped according to diet: standard (n = 20) and HF diet (n = 20). The food intake and body weight were analyzed. The gene expression of Th, Drd1a, and Drd2 was evaluated using real-time PCR. NB combination of 1 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg reduced food intake and body weight, increased Drd2 expression in rats on HF diet, and increased Th in rats on both experimental diets. The level of Drd1a was unchanged. We concluded that bodyweight reduction may be associated with decreased food intake in response to the increased Drd2 expression in the mesolimbic areas of rats that received an HF diet.

Objetivo: o objetivo desse trabalho foi de identificar se o desmame precoce é capaz de ocasionar alterações morfológicas no tecido gástrico de ratos wistar. Método: Foram dividimos os filhotes de ratos em dois grupos, Grupo Desmame (n=6) e Grupo Controle (n=6). O Grupo Desmame foi desmamado no 15°dia de vida por separação materna, enquanto o Grupo Controle permaneceu com suas mães amamentando. Com 90 dias, os grupos foram submetidos a eutanásia e em seguida a retirada do estômago para o processamento histológico. As lâminas foram fotomicrografadas e analisadas. Resultado: Os dados mostraram que o desmame precoce aumenta a área da mucosa, aumentando assim a área das glândulas e da muscular da mucosa, com isso aumenta também a acidez estomacal. Também observamos que o desmame diminuiu a área da muscular longitudinal e submucosa, fazendo com que o organismo sofra adaptações para o funcionamento. Mostrando assim os riscos que o desmame precoce pode ocasionar a saúde.

The present study is a systematic review of the literature that aimed to characterize the profile in animal models used to study perinatal protein malnutrition correlating with the cardiovascular system and the implications of malnutrition to the heart. Therefore, an extensive search was conducted in the PubMed, BVS, and SciELO databases, using combinations of the descriptors protein malnutrition, pregnancy, heart, lactation, and cardiovascular system. A total of 247 articles were found, but after excluding duplicities and applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, only 12 papers remained. The analysis of the results shows that the diet used in the studies has a protein content of between 17 and 22% for the control animals, and of between 0 and 9% for the animals submitted to perinatal protein malnutrition. The main morphofunctional changes observed in the cardiovascular system are related to high blood pressure, increased apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and reduction in the absolute size of the heart, among other ultrastructural and molecular changes.

Fatty acid (FA) composition is a determinant of the physiological effects of dietary oils. This study investigated the effects of vegetable oil supplementation with different FA compositions on anthropometric and biochemical parameters in obese women on a hypocaloric diet with lifestyle modifications. Seventy-five women (body mass index, BMI, 30&ndash, 39.9kg/m2) were randomized based on 8-week oil supplementation into four experimental groups: the coconut oil group (CoG, n = 18), the safflower oil group (SafG, n = 19), the chia oil group (ChG, n = 19), and the soybean oil placebo group (PG, n = 19). Pre- and post-supplementation weight, anthropometric parameters, and body fat (%BF), and lean mass percentages (%LM) were evaluated, along with biochemical parameters related to lipid and glycidemic profiles. In the anthropometric evaluation, the CoG showed greater weight loss (&Delta, % = &minus, 8.54 &plusmn, 2.38), and reduced BMI (absolute variation, &Delta, abs = &minus, 2.86 &plusmn, 0.79), waist circumference (&Delta, 6.61 &plusmn, 0.85), waist-to-height ratio (&Delta, 0.041 &plusmn, 0.006), conicity index (&Delta, 0.03 &plusmn, 0.016), and %BF (&Delta, 2.78 &plusmn, 0.46), but increased %LM (&Delta, abs = 2.61 &plusmn, 1.40) (p &lt, 0.001). Moreover, the CoG showed a higher reduction in biochemical parameters of glycemia (&Delta, 24.71 &plusmn, 8.13) and glycated hemoglobin (&Delta, 0.86 &plusmn, 0.28) (p &lt, 0.001). The ChG showed a higher reduction in cholesterol (&Delta, 45.36 &plusmn, 0.94), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc, &Delta, 42.53 &plusmn, 22.65), and triglycerides (&Delta, 49.74 &plusmn, 26.3), but an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc, abs = 3.73 &plusmn, 1.24, p = 0.007). Coconut oil had a more pronounced effect on abdominal adiposity and glycidic profile, whereas chia oil had a higher effect on improving the lipid profile. Indeed, supplementation with different fatty acid compositions resulted in specific responses.