Influência do consumo de gordura interesterificada sobre parâmetros de locomoção e de memória em ratos

Abstract

Fatty acids (FA) are important constituents of neural phospholipid membranes playing essential roles in normal functions maintenance of the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, qualitative and/or quantitative modifications of dietary FA may be responsible for triggering different diseases. In the last decades, changes in the heating habits favored the processed foods consumption, rich in trans FA (TFA). The TFA consumption have been related to several healthy problems, including cardiovascular diseases, anxiety and depression. Thereby, the interesterified fat (IF) is replacing the trans fat in foods, since this fat does not contain TFA. However, studies from our research group have shown that IF chronic consumption can cause damages to the CNS of rodents. Furthermore, literature data have also indicated the maternal diet influence on offspring health, suggesting that nutrition may be able to modify epigenetic information. The current study aimed to evaluate the influence of IF chronic consumption (gestation, lactation and until adulthood offspring) along with, throughout maternal life before mating, on the locomotor parameters and memory of the offspring. This study is based on the hypothesis that IF consumption at different stages of life could modify the FA incorporation in neural phospholipids membranes and alter the dopaminergic targets expression in the striatum, related to motor control and the hippocampus neurotrophins, related to memory. In experiment I, pregnant rats received IF during gestation and lactation and male offspring were maintained with the same maternal supplementation until adulthood. It was observed that IF consumption impair the pup’s motor control, whose damage remained until adulthood. Adult offspring showed increased SFA, palmitic acid and n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio incorporation, in addition to reduced DHA and MUFA incorporation in the striatum. The IF chronic consumption also reduced the DAT, D2R, VMAT-2 and GDNF immunoreactivity in the striatum. In experiment II, when only mothers were supplemented with IF before conception, it was observed that this fat consumption impaired exploratory and memory parameters, decreasing the palmitoleic acid incorporation and the proBDNF and BDNF immunoreactivity in the hippocampus of adult offspring. From this last experimental protocol, it is possible to propose that the maternal IF consumption before conception could induce epigenetic adaptions modifying the hippocampal gene expression which could be transmitted to the offspring resulting in the observed behavioral impairments and molecular alterations observed here. As a conclusion, it can be inferred that processed food consumption, rich in IF, during different periods, can favor the development of locomotor and memory impairments in the offspring. Based on these outcomes it is possible to propose that the type and/or quality of the FA consumed in diet is an important environmental risk factor that can alter the fluidity and plasticity of neural phospholipid membranes predisposing the offspring to neurological diseases. More studies are needed to evaluate other possible consequences of IF consumption on the CNS.