Impact on gene expression and metabolic homeostasis of bioactive compounds-enriched diets

Abstract

The excess of fat deposits are originated by a prolonged imbalance between the energy intake and the energy expenditure. The current food pattern based on a high consumption of saturated fats, simple sugars and processed foods, together with the sedentary lifestyle of the population, favor the development of obesity, which is responsible for 3.4 million deaths per year and is the main risk factor for the development of associated comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver and cardiovascular diseases. Given the current pandemic scope of obesity, finding therapeutic targets and strategies for their control and treatment is of great importance. The Mediterranean Diet, characterized by a high consumption of fruits and vegetables, provides a high levels of bioactive compounds mainly carotenoids and polyphenols, which have shown antiobesogenic properties. The main aim of this thesis is to define the molecular mechanisms involved in the metabolic impact of foods rich in bioactive compounds in animal models of obesity. We worked with sofrito and maqui to be two food products rich in bioactive compounds. Sofrito is as a typical Mediterranean preparation with a high nutritional interest due to the high content of bioactive compounds, mainly carotenoids and because beneficial effects in the primary prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes has been attributed to it. On the other hand, the berry known as maqui (Aristotelia chilensis), characteristic of southern Chile, with a high polyphenols contents, especially from the anthocyanin group, has shown cardioprotective and hypoglycemic effects.

The results show that both sofrito and maqui have beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, respectively. As well, they are

also able to increase the expression and signaling of the fibroblast growth factor pathway 21 and increase the expression of uncoupling protein 1 and browning in white adipose tissue. In addition, in the liver, the supplementation with maqui improves the hepatic steatosis caused by a high-fat diet by the expression of small heterodimer partner– interacting leucine zipper protein. The data presented allow us to point out that both dietary supplementation with sofrito and with maqui, could be good strategies in the prevention and / or treatment of obesity and its associated comorbidities.