Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Artigo Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

BIBTEX RIS

DHA/EPA supplementation decreases anxiety-like behaviour, but it does not ameliorate metabolic profile in obese male rats

2021; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 128; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0007114521003998

1475-2662

João Neto, Jeferson Jantsch, Simone de Oliveira, Matheus Filipe Braga, Luís Felipe dos Santos Castro, Bruna Ferrary Diniz, José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira, Márcia Giovenardi, Marilene Porawski, Renata Padilha Guedes,

Cardiovascular, Neuropeptides, and Oxidative Stress Research

Abstract Obesity is a major public health problem that predisposes to several diseases and higher mortality in patients with COVID-19. Obesity also generates neuroinflammation, which predisposes to the development of neuropsychiatric diseases. Since there is a lack of effective treatments for obesity, the search for new strategies to reverse its consequences is urgent. In this perspective, the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA/EPA might reduce the harmful effects of obesity. Here, we used the cafeteria diet (CAF) model to induce obesity in Wistar rats. Animals received ultra-processed food for 20 weeks, and DHA/EPA supplementation (500 mg/kg per d) was performed between the 16th and the 20th week. At the end of the experiment, it was evaluated: body weight, visceral fat deposition, plasma glucose, insulin and triglycerides, and it was also measured the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF- α and IL-6 in plasma and liver, and TNF- α in the prefrontal cortex. The elevated plus maze test was performed to analyse anxiety-like behaviour. Our results demonstrated that DHA/EPA could not reverse weight and fat gain and did not modify plasma dosages. However, there was a decrease in IL-6 in the liver (DHA/EPA effect: P = 0.023) and TNF- α in the brain (CAF compared with CAF + DHA/EPA, P < 0.05). Also, there was a decrease in the anxiety index in CAF + DHA/EPA compared with the CAF group ( P < 0.01). Thus, DHA/EPA supplementation is helpful to reverse the consequences of obesity in the brain.