Energy metabolism and behavioral parameters in female mice subjected to obesity and offspring deprivation stress

• Published in: Behavioural brain research Vol. 451; p. 114526
• Main Authors: Cruz, Kenia L.O., Salla, Daniele H., Oliveira, Mariana P., Silva, Larissa E., Vedova, Larissa M.D., Mendes, Talita F., Bressan, Catarina B.C., Silva, Mariella R., Santos, Sheila M.L., Soares, Hevylin J., Mendes, Rayane L., Vernke, Camila N., Silva, Marina G., Laurentino, Ana O.M., Medeiros, Fabiana D., Vilela, Thais C., Lemos, Isabela, Bitencourt, Rafael M., Réus, Gislaine Z., Streck, Emilio L., Mello, Aline H., Rezin, Gislaine T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05-08-2023
• Subjects: Anhedonia; Animals; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Energy Metabolism; Female; Humans; Mice; Obesity; Obesity - metabolism; Offspring deprivation; Open-field test; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Splash test; Sucrose; Weaning; FFA; Obesity; Energy metabolism; BBB; IL; O2; NADH, ND; Sucrose; CK; CNS; H2O2; CONCEA; CEUA; TNF-α; Offspring deprivation; ANOVA; OD; ROS; Open-field test; ATP; Splash test; WHO
• ISSN: 0166-4328; 1872-7549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114526

This study aimed to evaluate the behavioral and energy metabolism parameters in female mice subjected to obesity and offspring deprivation (OD) stress. Eighty female Swiss mice, 40 days old, were weighed and divided into two groups: Control group (control diet, n = 40) and Obese group (high-fat diet, n = 40), for induction of the animal model of obesity, the protocol was based on the consumption of a high-fat diet and lasted 8 weeks. Subsequently, the females were subjected to pregnancy, after the birth of the offspring, were divided again into the following groups (n = 20): Control non-deprived (ND), Control + OD, Obese ND, and Obese + OD, for induction of the stress protocol by OD. After the offspring were 21 days old, weaning was performed and the dams were subjected to behavioral tests. The animals were humanely sacrificed, the brain was removed, and brain structures were isolated to assess energy metabolism. Both obesity and OD led to anhedonia in the dams. It was shown that the structures most affected by obesity and OD are the hypothalamus and hippocampus, as evidenced by the mitochondrial dysfunction found in these structures. When analyzing the groups separately, it was observed that OD led to more pronounced mitochondrial damage; however, the association of obesity with OD, as well as obesity alone, also generated damage. Thus, it is concluded that obesity and OD lead to anhedonia in animals and to mitochondrial dysfunction in the hypothalamus and hippocampus, which may lead to losses in feeding control and cognition of the dams.
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•Obesity alters the number of births, sex and mortality of the offspring.•Obesity and offspring deprivation leads to anhedonia in matrices.•Obesity and offspring deprivation alter energy metabolism cerebral.