Maternal obesity modulates both the renin-angiotensin system in mice dams and fetal adiposity
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
Authors: Cerri, Gabriela Cavazza; Motta-Santos, Daisy; Oliveira Andrade, Joao Marcus; de Rezende, Luiz Fernando; Souza dos Santos, Robson Augusto; Sousa Santos, Sergio Henrique
Abstract
Obesity is a chronicmultifactorial disease and is currently a public health problem. Maternal obesity during pregnancy ismore dangerous as it impairs the health of the mother and future generations. Obesity leads to several metabolic disorders. Since white adipose tissue is an endocrine tissue, obesity often leads to disordered secretion of inflammatory, glycemic, lipid and renin-angiotensin system(RAS) components. The RAS represents a link between obesity and itsmetabolic consequences. Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the possible changes caused by a high-fat diet in RAS-related receptor expression in the uterus and placenta of pregnantmice and determine the underlying effects of these changes in the fetuses' body composition. Breeding groups were formed after obesity induction by high-fat (HF) diet. Dams and fetuseswere euthanized on the 19th day of the gestational period. The HFdiet effectively induced obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance inmice. Fetuses born from HF dams showed increased body weight and adiposity. Both results were accompanied by increased AT(1)R expression in placenta and uterus together with increased angiotensin-converting enzyme expression in the uterus and a decreased expression of MAS1 in placenta of HF dams. These results suggest a link between RAS, maternal obesity induced by HF diet and the fetuses' body adiposity. This new path now can be more thoroughly explored. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Involvement of sex hormones, oxidative stress, ACE and ACE2 activity in the impairment of renal function and remodelling in SHR
LIFE SCIENCES
Authors: Junior, Antonio F. Melo; Dalpiaz, Polyana Lima M.; Escouto, Leonardo da Silva; Sousa, Glauciene Januario; Aires, Rafaela; Oliveira, Nayara Damacena; Carmona, Adriana Karaoglanovic; Gava, Agata Lages; Bissoli, Nazare Souza
Abstract
Aims: Hypertension is a relevant sex and sex hormones-dependent risk factor where the cardiovascular and renal health of the population are concerned. Men experience greater losses of renal function (RF) than women, but the mechanisms remain somewhat unclear. Our goal was to evaluate the relationship between oxidative stress (OS), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activities and RF in male and female SHR. Main methods: Twelve-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were submitted to either castration or SHAM surgery and divided into 4 groups, SHAM or Castrated (CAST) males or females. After 51 days we evaluated RF (inulin and sodium para-aminohippurate), ACE and ACE2 activities (fluorimetry), OS (flow cytometry), collagen deposition (picrosirius red) and protein expression (western blot). Key findings: Males presented lower RF than females and castration impaired this parameter in both groups. Sexual dimorphism was not observed regarding OS and inflammation; however, castration increased this parameter more severely in males than in females. SHAM males exhibited higher collagen deposition than females, though castration increased it in both sexes, eliminating the difference. We found sexual dimorphism regarding renal ACE and ACE2 activities, which were lower in males than in females. Although castration did not alter ACE activity, it reduced ACE2 activity in females and increased it in males. Significance: These results indicate that sex hormones affect RF in SHR. As alterations in the oxidative system were capable of promoting podocyte injury, inflammation, and collagen deposition, we put forward that these effects are differently modulated by ACE and ACE2.