2 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Early exposure to high-sucrose diet leads to deteriorated ovarian health
Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is correlated with disorders of the reproductive system, such as the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). While consumption of a diet rich in carbohydrates is linked to the development of MetS, it is still unclear if this diet leads to ovarian dysfunction and PCOS.
Objectives: We investigated the influence of a high-sucrose diet (HSD) on the ovarian milieu of Wistar rats and studied the correlation between high consumption of sugary drink and the prevalence of PCOS in women.
Methods: Wistar rats were given standard laboratory diet (CTR, 10% sucrose, n = 8) or HSD (HSD, 25% sucrose, n = 8) from postnatal day 21 to 120. The animals were evaluated weekly to calculate food intake, feed efficiency and weight gain. Both onset of puberty and estrous cycle were monitored. Metabolic serum biochemistry, organ morphometry and ovarian histology were performed upon euthanasia. In parallel, fixed-effects multiple linear regression analysis was carried out using data from Brazilian states (459 state-year observations) to test the correlation between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and the prevalence of PCOS.
Results: HSD animals were not obese, but showed increased adipose tissue accumulation, hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance when compared to CTR. Interestingly HSD rats also entered puberty earlier than CTR. Moreover, ovaries from HSD animals had an increased number of atretic antral follicles and cystic follicles, which were correlated with hypertrophy of periovarian adipocytes. Finally, there was a positive correlation between the intake of sugary drinks and prevalence of PCOS in women of reproductive age.
Conclusions: HSD ingestion leads to ovarian dysfunction in rats and could be correlated with PCOS in women, suggesting these alterations could lead to public health issues. Therefore, we reinforce the deleterious impact of HSD to the ovarian system and suggest that the reduction of added sugars intake could be beneficial to ovarian health
Serum Metabolic Alterations upon Zika Infection
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has recently emerged as a major concern worldwide due to its strong association with nervous system malformation (microcephaly) of fetuses in pregnant women infected by the virus. Signs and symptoms of ZIKV infection are often mistaken with other common viral infections. Since transmission may occur through biological fluids exchange and coitus, in addition to mosquito bite, this condition is an important infectious disease. Thus, understanding the mechanism of viral infection has become an important research focus, as well as providing potential targets for assertive clinical diagnosis and quality screening for hemoderivatives. Within this context, the present work analyzed blood plasma from 79 subjects, divided as a control group and a ZIKV-infected group. Samples underwent direct-infusion mass spectrometry and statistical analysis, where eight markers related to the pathophysiological process of ZIKV infection were elected and characterized. Among these, Angiotensin (1-7) and Angiotensin I were upregulated under infection, showing an attempt to induce autophagy of the infected cells. However, this finding is concerning about hypertensive individuals under treatment with inhibitors of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS), which could reduce this response against the virus and exacerbate the symptoms of the infection. Moreover, one of the most abundant glycosphingolipids in the nervous tissue, Ganglioside GM2, was also elected in the present study as an infection biomarker. Considered an important pathogen receptor at membrane's outer layer, this finding represents the importance of gangliosides for ZIKV infection and its association with brain tropism. Furthermore, a series of phosphatidylinositols were also identified as biomarkers, implying a significant role of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR Pathway in this mechanism. Finally, these pathways may also be understood as potential targets to be considered in pharmacological intervention studies on ZIKV infection management