Decreased weight gain and enhanced serum biochemical parameters in rats after vitamin D and Ca supplementation

Introduction: Obese individuals tend to have lower plasma concentrations of calcidiol and higher levels of plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH). Objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of vitamin D and Ca supplementation on weight gain and biochemical parameters in rats fed a high-fat high-calorie diet. Methods: Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly into 4 groups of 14 rats each, and receiving diets as follows: (1) high fat (HF) 40% total energy from fat; (2) high fat & vitamin D (HF-D) 2000 IU vit D/kg diet; (3) high fat & Ca (HF-Ca) 7 g Ca/kg of diet; and (4) high fat & vitamin D & Ca (HF-D & Ca) (2000 IU of vit D+7 g Ca/kg of diet). Measured variables included body weight gains, food intake, serum triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, glucose, ALT, and AST at 5 weeks and 10 weeks of the trial. Results: Lowest amount of weight gain and feeding efficiency ratio were recorded for the (HF-D & Ca) group. Rats in the HF-D group had the lowest circulating cholesterol. No significant differences in food intake, blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides, ALT and AST were found among the treatment groups. Conclusion: This study showed that diet supplemented with vitamin D and Ca combined appeared to mitigate weight gain in weight-induced rats, while vitamin D supplementation alone lowered serum cholesterol concentrations. Further studies are recommended to confirm these results.Scopu

Seminiferous epithelium of rats with food restriction and carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis

OBJECTIVE: Analyze the changes in the seminiferous epithelium in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis (CCl4). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight male Wistar rats aged 45-50 days, weighing 150-180 grams were used. Twenty-two rats underwent CCl4-induced cirrhosis with CCl4 0.25 mL/Kg weekly intragastrically once a week, during 10 weeks. Additionally, they had a 44% food restriction diet (Group 1). The control group was divided in two subgroups: 13 rats had a 44% food restriction diet and no CCl4 (Group 2) and 10 rats were not submitted to CCl4 or food restriction (Group 3). After 10 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and liver sections were collected for histological analysis. The testicular analysis was carried out to evaluate the frequency of tubules in stages VIII and XIV. RESULTS: The mean rates of stage VIII in animals with food restriction plus CCl4-induced cirrhosis and food restriction without CCl4 were significantly different from animals without either food restriction or CCl4 (18.1 ± 5.5%, 20.5 ± 2.5% and 13.4 ± 3.5%, respectively, p = 0.002). The mean rate of stage VIII in rats with cirrhosis was not significantly different from rats without cirrhosis (18.1 ± 5.5% and 17.4 ± 4.6% respectively). The mean frequency of stage XIV in rats with cirrhosis was significantly greater than rats without cirrhosis (4.7 ± 2.3% and 6.8 ± 1.9% respectively, p = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Animals with CCl4-induced cirrhosis and food restriction have shown alterations in spermatogenic cycle that were not seen in rats without CCl4-induced cirrhosis and food restriction