ABSTRACT
Abstract Background: As some individuals present resistance to obesity development, experiments have been trying to understand their susceptibility to cardiometabolic diseases. Objetive: To evaluate if the cardiac remodeling was related to collagen protein expression change. Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomized into two experimental groups: control diet (CD, n=15) or high-fat diet (HFD, n=15) for 30 weeks. Rats fed with HFD were ranked based on their adiposity indexes and classified as obese (Ob, n = 8) or obesity-resistant (ROb, n = 6). Rats that failed to present the normal characteristic of the control group while fed with CD were excluded (Control, n = 8). Nutritional profile, comorbidities (dyslipidemia, hypertension, glucose metabolism, hyperleptinemia), cardiac remodeling, and collagen protein expression were evaluated. The groups were compared by One-Way ANOVA, together the Tukey post hoc test, with p<0.05 considered significant. Results: The Ob rats presented an increased adiposity index when compared to C and ROb. Both groups Ob and ROb presented increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL), insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA- IR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP), and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels when compared to the control group. The levels of triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), and leptin were lower in ROb as compared to Ob, but higher than the control group. The Ob and ROb groups presented cardiac remodeling, evidenced by echocardiographic and post-mortem analysis. The collagen protein expression did not differ among the groups. Conclusion: The ROb animals present cardiac remodeling that is not related to collagen type I and III protein expression change.