ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to test the contribution of dietary enrichment in essential or saturated fatty acids, in normocaloric diets, on the lipid accumulation and insulin resistance in the adult offspring in a C57Bl6/J mice model. METHODS: Pregnant mothers were fed normocaloric diets containing 6% fat enriched in essential fatty acids (EFA): alpha-linolenic (ALA-18:3, n-3), linoleic (LA-18:2, n-6), or saturated fatty acids (SFA). After a washing-out period with regular diet, the offspring received a high-fat diet before euthanization. RESULTS: Adult mice fed maternal ALA showed lower body weight gain and lower liver fat accumulation, lower HOMA index and lower stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1) activity than those fed maternal SFA. CONCLUSION: The results observed using this novel model suggest that ALA in maternal diet may have the potential to inhibit insulin resistance in adult offspring.
Subject(s)
Aging/physiology , Dietary Supplements/analysis , Insulin Resistance , alpha-Linolenic Acid/pharmacology , Adipose Tissue/drug effects , Adiposity/drug effects , Aging/blood , Aging/drug effects , Animals , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Body Weight/drug effects , Fatty Acids/pharmacology , Female , Insulin/blood , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mothers , Pregnancy , alpha-Linolenic Acid/administration & dosage , alpha-Linolenic Acid/analysis , alpha-Linolenic Acid/bloodABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To test the feasibility of photodynamic therapy (PDT)-based ablation of rat embryos as a model for PDT of extrauterine pregnancy (EUP) in humans. METHODS: A controlled pre-clinical study. Selected rat embryos [one per litter, n = 30, embryonic day 14 (E14)] were subjected to placental injection of a Palladium-bacteriochlorophyll derivative and illuminated to achieve selective photo-ablation. Histopathology studies were performed 48 h after treatment (E16). Parturition (E21) and breeding (approximately 12 weeks) after treatment were also evaluated. RESULTS: Using direct placental injection, nearly 80% of the treated rat embryos were selectively photo-ablated, leaving the remaining litter unharmed to achieve normal parturition. Treated animals retained fertility and normally implanted in both treated and untreated uterine horns attesting to the confined toxicity inherent to this approach. CONCLUSIONS: Although requiring respective adaptation to clinical application in terms of treatment protocols and designated hardware, photodynamic interventions using novel bacteriochlorophyll-based photosensitizers may prove applicable to treatment of EUP, as well as other gynecological pathologies and malignancies in a safe, minimally invasive manner.
