Glucocorticoids have been implicated in nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). The influence of a palatable diet on the response to stress is controversial. This study explored whether a high-sucrose diet could protect from hepatic steatosis induced by chronic restraint stress in young adult rats. Male Wistar rats aged 21 days were allocated into four groups (n = 6–8 per group): control, chronic restraint stress, 30% sucrose diet, and 30% sucrose diet plus chronic restraint stress. After being exposed to either tap water or sucrose solution during eight weeks, half of the rats belonging to each group were subject or not to repeated restraint stress (1 h per day, 5 days per week) during four weeks. Triacylglycerol (TAG), oxidative stress, activity of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD-1), infiltration of immune cells, and glycogen amount in the liver were quantified. Serum concentrations of corticosterone and testosterone were also measured. The stressed group showed normal serum concentrations of corticosterone and did not have hepatic steatosis. However, this group showed increased glycogen, inflammation, mild fibrosis, oxidative stress, and a high activity of 11β-HSD-1 in the liver. The group exposed to the high-sucrose diet had lower concentrations of corticosterone, hepatic steatosis and moderate fibrosis. The group subject to high-sucrose diet plus chronic restraint stress showed low concentrations of corticosterone, hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and high concentrations of testosterone. Thus, restraint stress and a high-sucrose diet each generate different components of nonalcoholic fatty liver in young adult rats. The combination of both the factors could promote a faster development of NAFLD.

Poor maternal nutrition predisposes offspring to metabolic disease. This predisposition is modified by various postnatal factors. We hypothesised that coupled to the initial effects of developmental programming due to a maternal low-protein diet, a second hit resulting from increased offspring postnatal sugar consumption would lead to additional changes in metabolism and adipose tissue function. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of sugared water consumption (5 % sucrose in the drinking-water) on adult offspring adiposity as a ‘second hit’ following exposure to maternal protein restriction during pregnancy. We studied four offspring groups: (1) offspring of mothers fed the control diet (C); (2) offspring of mothers fed the restricted protein diet (R); (3) offspring of control mothers that drank sugared water (C-S); (4) offspring of restricted mothers that drank sugared water (R-S). Maternal diet in pregnancy was considered the first factor and sugared water consumption as the second factor – the second hit. Body weight and total energy consumption, before and after sugared water consumption, were similar in all the groups. Sugared water consumption increased TAG, insulin and cholesterol concentrations in both the sexes of the C-S and R-S offspring. Sugared water consumption increased leptin concentrations in the R-S females and males but not in the R offspring. There was also an interaction between sugared water and maternal diet in males. Sugared water consumption increased adipocyte size and adiposity index in both females and males, but the interaction with maternal diet was observed only in females. Adiposity index and plasma leptin concentrations were positively correlated in both the sexes. The present study shows that a second hit during adulthood can amplify the effects of higher adiposity arising due to poor maternal pregnancy diet in an offspring sex dependent fashion.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in vascular complications observed in patients with obesity and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Xanthine oxidase (XO) breaks down purine nucleotides into uric acid and contributes to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the relationship between XO activity and glucose homeostasis in T2D subjects with obesity is unclear. We hypothesized that disordered glucose levels are associated with serum XO activity in overweight women and men with T2D and without hyperuricemia. We studied serum XO activity in women and men with and without T2D. Our results show that serum XO activity was greater in T2D patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m² than in those with BMI < 25 kg/m² (p < 0.0001). Sex-based comparative analyses of overweight T2D patients showed that serum XO activity correlated with homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and hemoglobin A1C in overweight T2D women but not in overweight T2D men. In addition, as compared to overweight T2D men, women had higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. However, overweight T2D men had higher XO activity and uric acid levels than women. Our results suggest that XO activity is higher in overweight T2D patients, especially in men, but is more sensitive to disordered glucose levels in overweight women with T2D.

Ovarian failure is related to dyslipidemias and inflammation, as well as to hypertrophy and dysfunction of the visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Although hypothyroidism has been associated with obesity, dyslipidemias, and inflammation in humans and animals, its influence on the characteristics of ovarian follicles in adulthood is scarcely known. Control and hypothyroid rabbits were used to analyze the ovarian follicles, expression of aromatase in the ovary, serum concentration of lipids, leptin, and uric acid, size of adipocytes, and infiltration of macrophages in the periovarian VAT. Hypothyroidism did not affect the percentage of functional or atretic follicles. However, it reduced the size of primary, secondary, and tertiary follicles considered as large and the expression of aromatase in the ovary. This effect was associated with high serum concentrations of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In addition, hypothyroidism induced hypertrophy of adipocytes and a major infiltration of CD68+ macrophages into the periovarian VAT. Our results suggest that the reduced size of ovarian follicles promoted by hypothyroidism could be associated with dyslipidemias, hypertrophy, and inflammation of the periovarian VAT. Present findings may be useful to understand the influence of hypothyroidism in the ovary function in adulthood.

Purpose To determine the association between the serum concentration of triiodothyronine (T3) with components of metabolic syndrome (MetS), cardiovascular risk (CVR), and diet in euthyroid post-menopausal women without and with MetS. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in 120 voluntary women of an indigenous population from Tlaxcala-México. Euthyroid status was assessed measuring the serum concentration of thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroid hormones, while that of estradiol was measured to confirm the postmenopausal condition. MetS was diagnosed using the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Scientific Statement (AHA/NHLBI) criterion. Estimation of CVR was calculated based on the Framingham scale. Diet components were evaluated based on survey applications. Correlations, logistic regression analyses, ANOVA or Kruskall-Wallis, and chi-square tests were used to determine significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between women without MetS and women with MetS having different serum concentrations of T3. Results Triiodothyronine was positively correlated with insulin but negatively correlated with glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and CVR. Compared to women without MetS, women with MetS and low-normal T3 concentration showed a high risk for hyperglycemia and moderate/high risk for CVR. In contrast, a high-normal T3 concentration increased the risk to have a big waist circumference, a high concentration of HDL-C, and insulin resistance. Diet analysis showed a high grade of malnutrition in women from all groups. The intake of calories was positively affected by the T3 concentration, albeit it did not affect the extent of malnutrition. Conclusions In contrast to concentrations of TSH, total thyroxin (T4), and free T4, the concentration of serum T3 was strongly correlated with cardio-metabolic variables in euthyroid postmenopausal women. In comparison to women without MetS, a high-normal serum concentration of T3 in women with MetS is positively associated with reduced glycaemia and CVR but negatively related to body mass index (BMI), insulin, insulin resistance, and HDL-C. Although the analyzed population had a nutritional deficiency, both calories and iron intake were positively affected by the T3 concentration. Our results suggest the necessity of health programs monitoring T3 in old people in order to treat hyperglycemia, cardio-metabolic components, and the ageing anorexia.