Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by interconnected factors related to metabolic disturbances, and is directly related to the occurrence of some diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. MetS is described as one or both of insulin resistance and visceral adiposity, considered the initial causes of abnormalities that include hyperglycemia, elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, elevated inflammatory markers, and prothrombotic state, as well as polycystic ovarian syndrome in women. Other than in MetS, visceral adiposity and the pro-inflammatory state are also key in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is the most prevalent chronic liver disease in modern society. Both MetS and NAFLD are related to diet and lifestyle, and their treatment may be influenced by dietary pattern changes and the use of certain dietary supplements. This study aimed to review the role of food ingredients and supplements in the management of MetS and NAFLD specifically in human clinical trials. Moreover, bioactive compounds and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may be used as strategies for preventing the onset of and treatment of metabolic disorders, such as MetS and NAFLD, improving the inflammatory state and other comorbidities, such as obesity, dyslipidemias, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) relate to chronic inflammations in different parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract involving both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Ulcerative colitis begins in the rectum and extends continuously up the colon. Notably, CD may affect any area of the GIT, from the mouth to the anus. Various conditions may influence the genesis of the disease, such as genetics, environment, intestinal microbiota and the presence of agents of enteric infections. Experimental models are therefore suitably used to investigate the various etiological factors; similarly colitis can be induced by genetic modification, cell transfer, spontaneous inflammation and chemical agents. The objective of this chapter is to present current concept on animal models of inflammatory bowel diseases. These models are crucial for the understanding of inflammatory bowel diseases, development of alternative treatments and more effective therapeutic agents thus contributing to the control of the disease.

Obesity is a relevant health hazard characterized as a chronic noncommunicable disease, with severe comorbidities that cause mortality worldwide. Acrocomia aculeata is a Brazilian palm with edible fruits. Its pulp contains fibers, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), such as oleic acid and carotenoids. In this context, our study aimed to elucidate the protective effect of the lyophilized A. aculeata pulp added at the rates of 1%, 2%, and 4% to a high-fat (HF) diet (rich in saturated fats and cholesterol), for 90 days, in mice. The treatment with 4% pulp induced a significant increase in the biochemical parameters of serum cholesterol HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein) compared with the control. According to the evaluation of the epididymal tissue, the groups treated with A. aculeata pulp exhibited smaller fat deposits compared with the HF diet group. Therefore, we infer that the predominant components in A. aculeata , particularly fibers and MUFAs, promote beneficial effects on health parameters during simultaneous exposure to food rich in saturated fat and cholesterol, typical of the Western diet. This is the first study to correlate the presence of fatty acids from A. aculeata pulp in different proportions added in a HF diet with metabolic and histological parameters in Swiss mice.

This study aimed to assess the pollution levels, sources, ecological risk, and human health risks of metal(loid)s in water, sediment, and muscle tissue of Prochilodus lineatus and Pimelodus maculatus from rivers in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The metal(loid)s content in river sediment, water, and fish tissue were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Sediment pollution assessment was carried out by geo-accumulation index, contamination factor, enrichment factor, and pollution load index. There were significant differences in concentration values for Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Hg. There was greater tendency for the elements Cu, Ni, Cu, N, Co, As, Hg, Al, and Co in the waters of the Anhanduí River in 2020 and Cr and Pb in 2021. The concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, and Hg in the waters of the Anhanduí River are above the permitted limit values for heavy metal ions in drinking water established by the WHO. The concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments of rivers are above the limit set by Conama/Brazil and other countries. The sediments were very highly contaminated by Cd and Mo, and with moderate contamination of Pb. All sediments of rivers showed a decline in site quality, which indicates that it is polluted. Sediments were classified with severe enrichment by Cd and Mo. The content of Al was the highest in P. lineatus and P. maculatus in relation to other elements analyzed. There was also the presence of elements such as Cr, Cu, Cd, Hg, Ni, As, Pb, Mo, and Co in the tissues of the fish species. Therefore, the contamination of these rivers is a concern due to human consumption of fish, since there is a carcinogenic risk related mainly to As and Cd.

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for the Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) development, as the leading cause of chronic liver disease. NAFLD is intrinsically related to obesity disorders, especially insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Interaction between NAFLD and obesity still needs further clarification, and it is necessary to dertemine the mechanisms of these disorders in animal models of disease. Such models are usually the result of genetic and/or nutritional modifications, considering metabolic and histological changes commonly seen in humans. Obesity induced in rodents occur mainly through HFD, HCD, FFD or genetic alterations like in Lep, Acox, KKy models. These models are analogous to NAFLD development, since the increasing visceral fat is highly associated with the accumulation of fat in the form of triglycerides in the liver. Inflammatory markers such as TNF-alpha and IR are active in the predisposition of lipolysis. Hepatic inflammation during NAFLD can also be unleashed by oxidative stress. However, the mechanisms involved in the progression from NAFLD to NASH are not yet elucidated, as some models have shown unexpected outcomes such as severe malnutrition or obesity markers absence and IR after the use of Minimal-change disease (MCD) therapies and drugs, respectively. Thus, it is important to evaluate different animal models of obesity able to induce the profile of NAFLD and NASH disease in humans, assessing their mechanisms of action. The aim of this chapter is to have a comparative analysis of animal models commongly used in the pathophysiology of obesity that present NAFLD/NASH.