Use of Ursodeoxycholic Acid on Post-menopausal Obesity, Hepatic steatosis and Plasma Profile as an Alternative Treatment for Hormone Replacement Therapy

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as an alternative treatment for menopause pathologies. For this, female Swiss-CD-1 mice were ovariectomized (OVX); SHAM operated mice served as controls. Ten weeks after operation, each group of mice was treated during four weeks with either UDCA, or 17(-estradiol+progesterone. The blood and tissues (liver and periuterine adipose tissue - PUAT) were harvested. The OVX mice had increase body weight, accompanied by liver lipid accumulation. UDCA and HRT treatments reduced these parameters. PUAT was also increased in OVX group and UDCA and HRT treatments reduced this. Histology confirmed the results in the liver and PUAT. The plasma glucose levels were elevated in the OVX mice, as well as total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol levels and reduced in OVX-UDCA and OVX-HRT. These results suggest that UDCA could reduce weight gain and fat liver deposition caused by ovariectomy, such as HRT, showing a possible alternative treatment for post-menopausal metabolic dysfunctions with UDCA.