School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
Nutrients. 2022 Mar 15;14(6):1243. doi: 10.3390/nu14061243.
A link between obesity and cerebral health is receiving growing recognition. Here, we investigate in the frontal cortex and hippocampus the potential involvement of cholinergic markers in brain alterations previously reported in rats with obesity induced by diet (DIO) after long-term exposure (17 weeks) to a high-fat diet (HFD) in comparison with animals fed with a standard diet (CHOW). The obesity developed after 5 weeks of HFD. Bodyweight, systolic blood pressure, glycemia, and insulin levels were increased in DIO rats compared to the CHOW group. Measurements of malondialdehyde (MDA) provided lipid peroxidation in HFD-fed rats. Western blot and immunohistochemical techniques were performed. Our results showed a higher expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) in obese rats but not the VAChT expression in the frontal cortex after 17 weeks of HFD. Furthermore, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme was downregulated in HFD both in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. In the brain regions analyzed, it was reported a modulation of certain cholinergic receptors expressed pre- and post-synaptically (alpha7 nicotinic receptor and muscarinic receptor subtype 1). Collectively, these findings point out precise changes of cholinergic markers that can be targeted to prevent cerebral injuries related to obesity.
肥胖与大脑健康之间的联系正受到越来越多的关注。在这里，我们研究了肥胖大鼠大脑前额皮质和海马区胆碱能标志物的潜在变化，这些大鼠长期（17 周）暴露于高脂肪饮食（HFD）后会出现肥胖（DIO），并与喂食标准饮食（CHOW）的动物进行了比较。HFD 喂养 5 周后出现肥胖。与 CHOW 组相比，DIO 大鼠的体重、收缩压、血糖和胰岛素水平均升高。丙二醛（MDA）的测量提供了 HFD 喂养大鼠的脂质过氧化。进行了 Western blot 和免疫组织化学技术检测。我们的结果表明，肥胖大鼠的胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）和囊泡乙酰胆碱转运体（VAChT）表达升高，但 17 周 HFD 后前额皮质的 VAChT 表达没有升高。此外，AChE 酶在 HFD 喂养的大鼠的前额皮质和海马区均下调。在所分析的脑区中，报告了某些突触前和突触后表达的胆碱能受体（α7 烟碱受体和毒蕈碱受体亚型 1）的调节。总的来说，这些发现指出了胆碱能标志物的精确变化，可以针对这些变化来预防与肥胖相关的大脑损伤。
