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BACKGROUND: We investigate the effect of aerobic physical training (APT) on muscle morphofunctional markers and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2/Angiotensin 1-7/Mas receptor (ACE2/Ang 1-7/Mas) axis in an obesity-linked insulin resistance (IR) animal model induced by cafeteria diet (CAF). METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were assigned into groups CHOW-SED (chow diet, sedentary; n = 10), CHOW-TR (chow diet, trained; n = 10), CAF-SED (n = 10) and CAF-TR (n = 10). APT consisted in running sessions of 60 min at 60% of maximal speed, 5 days per week for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Trained groups had lower body weight and adiposity compared with sedentary groups. CAF-TR improved the glucose and insulin tolerance tests compared with CAF-SED group (AUC = 28.896 ± 1589 vs. 35.200 ± 1076 mg dL-1 120 min-1; kITT = 4.1 ± 0.27 vs. 2.5 ± 0.28% min-1, respectively). CHOW-TR and CAF-TR groups increased exercise tolerance, running intensity at which VO2 max was reached, the expression of p-AMPK, p-ACC and PGC1-α proteins compared with CHOW-SED and CAF-SED. Mithocondrial protein expression of Mfn1, Mfn2 and Drp1 did not change. Lipid deposition reduced in CAF-TR compared with CAF-SED group (3.71 vs. 5.53%/area), but fiber typing, glycogen content, ACE2 activity, Ang 1-7 concentration and Mas receptor expression did not change. CONCLUSIONS: The APT prevents obesity-linked IR by modifying the skeletal muscle phenotype to one more oxidative independent of changes in the muscle ACE2/Ang 1-7/Mas axis.
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Acute lung injury (ALI) is an important public health problem. The present work investigated whether dehydrodieugenol B treatment, a compound isolated from Brazilian plant Nectandra leucantha (Lauraceae), modulates experimental ALI and compared the observed effects to eugenol. Effects of dehydrodieugenol B in vitro in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were evaluated. The lung and systemic inflammatory profile, lung function, and possible mechanisms involved in BALB/C male mice (6-8 weeks) with ALI induced by LPS instillation (5 mg/kg) was assayed. Dehydrodieugenol B did not affect the cell viability and inhibited the increase in NO release and IL-1ß and IL-6 gene expression induced by LPS. In vivo, both compounds reduced lung edema, inflammatory cells, and the IL-6 and IL-1 ß levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, as well as reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and those positive to iNOS, MMP-9, and TIMP-1, and reduced the collagen content and the 8-isoprostane expression in lung tissue. Eugenol and dehydrodieugenol B also inhibited the phosphorylation of Jc-Jun-NH2 terminal Kinase (JNK), a signaling protein involved in the MAPKinase pathway. There was no effect of these compounds in lung function. Therefore, eugenol and dehydrodieugenol B ameliorates several features of experimental ALI and could be considered as a pharmacological tool to ameliorate acute lung inflammation.
Assuntos
Lesão Pulmonar Aguda/tratamento farmacológico , Anisóis/farmacologia , Eugenol/farmacologia , Lauraceae/química , Pneumonia/tratamento farmacológico , Lesão Pulmonar Aguda/induzido quimicamente , Animais , Brasil , Lipopolissacarídeos , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Compostos Fitoquímicos/farmacologia , Folhas de Planta/química , Pneumonia/induzido quimicamente , Células RAW 264.7RESUMO
Division of labor is one of the most striking features in the evolution of eusociality. Juvenile hormone (JH) mediates reproductive status and aggression among nestmates in primitively eusocial Hymenoptera (species without morphologically distinct castes). In highly social species it has apparently lost its gonadotropic role and primarily regulates the division of labor in the worker caste. Polybia occidentalis, a Neotropical swarm-founding wasp, is an ideal model to understand how JH levels mirror social context and reproductive opportunities because of the absence of a clear morphological caste dimorphism. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that JH influences division of labor, ovary activation and cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of workers. Our observations confirmed that a JH analog (methoprene) and an inhibitor of JH biosynthesis (precocene) affected the cuticular chemical profile associated with age polyethism. Also, methoprene and precocene-I treatment of females influenced ovarian activation differently (individuals treated with methoprene expressed more activated ovaries while precocene treatment did not have significant effect). These results suggest that different hormonal levels induce a differential expression of cuticular chemicals associated with workers' age polyethism, which may be essential for keeping the social cohesion among workers throughout their lives in the colony. Furthermore, JH is likely to play a gonadotropic role in P. occidentalis. JH has apparently undergone certain modifications in social Hymenoptera, presenting multifaceted functions in different species.
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Hormônios Juvenis , Vespas , Animais , Feminino , Hidrocarbonetos , Metoprene , Ovário , Vespas/fisiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Eugenol, a common phenylpropanoid derivative found in different plant species, has well-described anti-inflammatory effects associated with the development of occupational hypersensitive asthma. Dehydrodieugenol, a dimeric eugenol derivative, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and can be found in the Brazilian plant species Nectandra leucantha (Lauraceae). The biological effects of dehydrodieugenol on lung inflammation remain unclear. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of eugenol and dehydrodieugenol isolated from N. leucantha in an experimental model of asthma. METHODS: In the present work, the toxic effects of eugenol and dehydrodieugenol on RAW 264.7 cells and their oxidant and inflammatory effects before lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure were tested. Then, male BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin through a 29-day protocol and treated with vehicle, eugenol, dehydrodieugenol or dexamethasone for eight days beginning on the 22nd day until the end of the protocol. Lung function; the inflammatory profile; and the protein expression of ERK1/2, JNK, p38, VAChT, STAT3, and SOCS3 in the lung were evaluated by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Eugenol and dehydrodieugenol were nontoxic to cells. Both compounds inhibited NO release and the gene expression of IL-1ß and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In OVA-sensitized animals, dehydrodieugenol reduced lung inflammatory cell numbers and the lung concentrations of IL-4, IL-13, IL-17, and IL-10. These anti-inflammatory effects were associated with inhibition of the JNK, p38 and ERK1/2, VAChT and STAT3/SOCS3 pathways. Moreover, treatment with dehydrodieugenol effectively attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness. CONCLUSION: The obtained data demonstrate, for the first time, that dehydrodieugenol was more effective than eugenol in counteracting allergic airway inflammation in mice, especially its inhibition of the JNK, p38 and ERK1/2, components of MAPK pathway. Therefore, dehydrodieugenol can be considered a prototype for the development of new and effective agents for the treatment of asthmatic patients.
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Asma/tratamento farmacológico , Eugenol/análogos & derivados , Lignanas/uso terapêutico , Sistema de Sinalização das MAP Quinases/efeitos dos fármacos , Pneumonia/tratamento farmacológico , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteína 3 Supressora da Sinalização de Citocinas/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Asma/metabolismo , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Eugenol/isolamento & purificação , Eugenol/farmacologia , Eugenol/uso terapêutico , Lauraceae , Lignanas/isolamento & purificação , Lignanas/farmacologia , Sistema de Sinalização das MAP Quinases/fisiologia , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Extratos Vegetais/isolamento & purificação , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Extratos Vegetais/uso terapêutico , Pneumonia/metabolismo , Células RAW 264.7 , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/metabolismo , Proteína 3 Supressora da Sinalização de Citocinas/metabolismoRESUMO
Asthma allergic disease is caused by airway chronic inflammation. Some intracellular signaling pathways, such as MAPK and STAT3-SOCS3, are involved in the control of airway inflammation in asthma. The flavonoid sakuranetin demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect in different asthma models. Our aim was to clarify how sakuranetin treatment affects MAPK and STAT3-SOCS3 pathways in a murine experimental asthma model. Mice were submitted to an asthma ovalbumin-induction protocol and were treated with vehicle, sakuranetin, or dexamethasone. We assayed the inflammatory profile, mucus production, and serum antibody, STAT3-SOCS3, and MAPK levels in the lungs. Morphological alterations were also evaluated in the liver. LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were used to evaluate the effects of sakuranetin on nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine production. In vivo, sakuranetin treatment reduced serum IgE levels, lung inflammation (eosinophils, neutrophils, and Th2/Th17 cytokines), and respiratory epithelial mucus production in ovalbumin-sensitized animals. Considering possible mechanisms, sakuranetin inhibits the activation of ERK1/2, JNK, p38, and STAT3 in the lungs. No alterations were found in the liver for treated animals. Sakuranetin did not modify in vitro cell viability in RAW 264.7 and reduced NO release and gene expression of IL-1ß and IL-6 induced by LPS in these cells. In conclusion, our data showed that the inhibitory effects of sakuranetin on eosinophilic lung inflammation can be due to the inhibition of Th2 and Th17 cytokines and the inhibition of MAPK and STAT3 pathways, reinforcing the idea that sakuranetin can be considered a relevant candidate for the treatment of inflammatory allergic airway disease.
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Flavonoides/uso terapêutico , Hipersensibilidade/tratamento farmacológico , Hipersensibilidade/metabolismo , Inflamação/tratamento farmacológico , Inflamação/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Extratos Vegetais/uso terapêutico , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/metabolismo , Proteína 3 Supressora da Sinalização de Citocinas/metabolismo , Animais , Western Blotting , Citocinas/metabolismo , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Células RAW 264.7RESUMO
Identifying the factors that influence the body image of body builders is important for understanding this construct. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between body image and age, socioeconomic status, and place of residence of body builders from two cities in Brazil. A cross-sectional study of 301 body builders with an average age of 25.2 yr. (SD = 3.5) was carried out. The Muscle Silhouette Measure scale was used, in which the discrepancy between current and desired silhouette was examined. Older body builders showed greater discrepancy between current and desired silhouette, reflecting their desire for a more muscular body.
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Imagem Corporal , Levantamento de Peso/psicologia , Adulto , Fatores Etários , Brasil , Estudos Transversais , Humanos , Masculino , Meio Social , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Somatotipos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The purpose of this study was to compare and correlate the effect of age group, sex, depth of water immersion, and the heart rate (HR) assessed out of the water on the HR behavior in individuals subjected to head-out water immersion. A total of 395 healthy individuals of both sexes, aged between 07 and 75 years, underwent vertical head-out water immersion. Heart rate was assessed out of the water in the supine and orthostatic (OHR) positions and at immersion depths corresponding to the ankle, knee, hip, umbilicus, xiphoid process, acromion, neck, and also the neck with the arms out of the water. The formula (ΔHR = OHR - HR immersion depth) was used to calculate the reduction in HR at each immersion depth. No age-based or sex-based differences in HR were found. The greater the depth of the water, the greater was the decrease in HR (p < 0.05); however, no differences were found between the HR values obtained below the depth corresponding to the umbilicus. Similarly, there was a significant relationship between OHR and ΔHR measured at levels below the depth corresponding to the umbilicus (e.g., xiphoid process level: r = 0.62; p < 0.05). Therefore, this study suggests to appropriately prescribe the intensity of water-based exercise intensity performed during vertical immersion: OHR should be measured before the individual entering the aquatic environment; ΔHR should be measured according to the depth at which exercise is to be performed, and we suggest an adaptation to Karvonen's HRmax prediction formula (predicted HRmax: 220 - age - ΔHR) to prescribe and control the intensity of the exercise performed during vertical immersion.