Caloric restriction, physical exercise, and CB1 receptor blockade as an efficient combined strategy for bodyweight control and cardiometabolic status improvement in male rats

Obesity is critically associated with the development of insulin resistance and related cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Several strategies for weight loss have been developed but most of them exhibit a post-intervention rebound effect. Here, we aimed to design combined weight-loss strategies of caloric restriction, physical exercise, and administration of a CB1 receptor blocker to inhibit food intake that also accomplish the objectives of lost-weight maintenance and improvement of cardiovascular and renal function. Diet-induced obesity (DIO) was generated in Sprague Dawley rats for 12 weeks to test the effects of single or combined strategies (i.e. caloric restriction, mixed training protocol, and/or administration of appetite suppressant) on caloric intake, body weight, cardiovascular and renal functionality resulting from a weight-loss intervention period of 3 weeks followed by 6 weeks of weight maintenance. Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) caused a significant increase in body weight (5th week of the experimental period) and led to the development of insulin resistance, cardiovascular, and renal alterations. The different interventions tested, resulted in a significant body weight loss and improved glucose metabolism, aerobic capacity, electrocardiographic parameters, vascular expression of adhesion molecules and inflammatory mediators, and renal functionality, reaching values similar to the control normocaloric group or even improving them. Successful maintenance of lost weight was achieved along a 6-week maintenance period in addition to adequate health status. In conclusion, the weight-loss and maintenance intervention strategies tested were efficient at reversing the obesity-related alterations in body weight, glucose metabolism, aerobic capacity, cardiovascular and renal functionality. The beneficial action was very consistent for caloric restriction and physical exercise, whereas administration of a CB1 receptor blocker complemented the effects of the prior interventions in some parameters like body weight or aerobic capacity, and showed specific actions in renal status, increasing glomerular filtration rate and diuresis. Overall, the novelty of our study relies on the easy implementation of combined strategies for effective weight management that resulted in significant health benefits.Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and UniversitiesEuropean Commission DEP2014-58296-R RTC-2017-6540-1 RTI2018-100934-B-I00European Commissio

Effects of interval aerobic training combined with strength exercise on body composition, glycaemic and lipid profile and aerobic capacity of obese rats: Journal of Sports Sciences

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of interval aerobic training combined with strength exercise in the same training session on body composition, and glycaemic and lipid profile in obese rats. Sixteen lean Zucker rats and sixteen obese Zucker rats were randomly divided into exercise and sedentary subgroups (4 groups, n=8). Exercise consisted of interval aerobic training combined with strength exercise in the same training session. The animals trained 60min/day, 5days/week for 8weeks. Body composition, lipid and glycaemic profiles and inflammatory markers were assessed.Results showed that fat mass was reduced in both lean and obese rats following the exercise training (effect size (95% confidence interval (CI))=1.8 (0.5-3.0)). Plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and fasting glucose were lower in the exercise compared to the sedentary groups (d=2.0 (0.7-3.2) and 1.8 (0.5-3.0), respectively). Plasma insulin was reduced in exercise compared to sedentary groups (d=2.1 (0.8-3.4)). Some exercise x phenotype interactions showed that the highest decreases in insulin, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, fasting and postprandial glucose were observed in the obese+exercise group (all,

Effects of a moderately high-protein diet and interval aerobic training combined with strength-endurance exercise on markers of bone metabolism, microarchitecture and turnover in obese Zucker rats

Background: Weight loss is a public health concern in obesity-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome, and the protein level of the diets seem to be crucial for the development and maintenance of bone. The nature of exercise and whether exercise in combination with moderately high-protein dietary interventions could protect against potential bone mass deficits remains unclear. Objectives: To investigate the effects of a moderately high-protein diet and interval aerobic training combined with strength-endurance exercise (IASE) protocol on bone status, and to assess potential interaction effects (i.e. diet*IASE). Methods: Male Zucker fatty rats were randomized distributed into 4 groups (n = 8): normoprotein + sedentary; normoprotein + exercise; moderately high-protein + sedentary, and moderately high-protein + exercise. Training groups conducted an IASE program, 5 days/week for 2 months. Markers of bone metabolism were measured in plasma. Parameters of bone mass and 3D outcomes for trabecular and cortical bone microarchitecture were assessed by micro-computed tomography. Results: Femur length, plasma osteocalcin, sclerostin, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand, insulin, leptin, PTH, uric acid and urinary phosphorus levels were lower in the moderately high-protein compared to the normoprotein groups (all, p <0.05), whereas plasma alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and urinary uric acid concentrations, and cortical total volume (TV) and bone volume (BV) were higher in the moderately high-protein (all, p <0.01). Final body weight and alkaline phosphatase levels were lower in the exercise compared to the sedentary (both, p <0.05), whereas femur length and weight, aminoterminal propeptides of type I procollagen and C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen concentrations, and cortical TV and BV were higher in the exercise compared to the sedentary groups (all, p <0.05). Conclusion: The combination of interventions may be effective to enhance trabecular bone microarchitecture and BMD, and has a partial impact on cortical bone in obese rats. Nevertheless, they do not induce any alteration on the bone turnover markers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

High-pressure polymorphs of gadolinium orthovanadate: X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations

We present a study of the different high-pressure polymorphs of GdVO4 and its stability. Powder x-ray diffraction and Raman experiments show a phase transition from a zircon-to a scheelite-type structure taking place at 6.8(4) GPa. Ab initio density functional theory calculations support this conclusion. The equations of state of these two phases are reported. In addition, we studied the pressure evolution of the Raman modes for the zircon and scheelite phases, showing good agreement between calculations and experiments. For the sake of completeness, we performed optical-absorption measurements up to 16 GPa, showing a band-gap collapse at the transition point. Beyond 20 GPa a second phase transition to a monoclinic fergusonite structure takes place as a consequence of a mechanical instability. A third transition is observed at around 29.3 GPa in Raman experiments. According to our calculations, this fourth polymorph corresponds to an orthorhombic structure described by space group Cmca. This phase involves an increase of the atomic coordination number of vanadium and gadolinium. The results are compared to those reported on isomorphic compounds

Electrofluorochromism in π-conjugated ionic liquid crystals

Materials in which photoluminescence is modulated by redox processes are known as electrofluorochromic. Intrinsically switchable fluorophores, incorporating both redox and fluorescent moieties, could be ideal electrofluorochromic materials if they possess high fluorescence quantum yields in at least one of their redox states. Fluorescent liquid crystals with redox active centres could combine the above requirements with the advantage to work in bulk anisotropic phases. However, electrofluorochromic liquid crystals have not been reported yet because their synthesis is challenging due to aggregation-caused fluorescent quenching. Here we show the first examples of electrofluorochromic π-conjugated ionic liquid crystals based on thienoviologens. These ordered materials, combining ionic and electronic functions, are highly fluorescence in the bulk state (quantum yield>60%). Their direct electrochemical reduction leads to fast and reversible bulk electrofluorochromic response in both columnar and smectic phases allowing for fluorescence intensity modulation and colour tuning