We investigated the inflammatory effect of a pellet-diet with high glycemic index and load (HGLI) on the histological organization of adipocytes, intestinal epithelium, and fat in liver and pancreas in adult male Wistar rats. Two groups (n=10) received for 17 weeks: (1) HGLI diet or (2) Standard diet (Labina®). Histological analyses of adipose tissue, jejunum, liver, and pancreas were performed. Stereology analysis, visceral adiposity index, gene expression, and immunohistochemistry of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in visceral adipose tissue and plasma TNF-α were also assessed. The HGLI diet-induced hypertrophy of adipocytes with adipocyte volume density equal to 97.0%, cross-sectional area of adipocytes equivalent to 1387 µm² and a total volume of adipocytes of 6.97 cm³ an elevation of 8%, 25%, and 58%, respectively. Furthermore, the HGLI diet increased liver and pancreatic fat deposition, altered and inflamed the intestinal epithelia, and increased TNF-α gene expression (P=0.014) with a positive immunostaining in visceral adipose tissue and high plasma TNF-α in comparison with standard diet. The results suggest that this diet was able to generate changes commonly caused to solid diets with high fat or fructose-rich beverages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature concerning the properties of low-cost, sucrose-rich pellet-diet presenting high glycemic index and high glycemic load efficient on the development of obesity complications in Wistar rats that were subjected to diet-induced obesity. Therefore, the HGLI pellet-diet may be considered an effective tool to be used by the scientific community in experimental research.

: The increasing prevalence of obesity and, consequently, chronic inflammation and its complications has increased the search for new treatment methods. The effect of the purified tamarind seed trypsin inhibitor (TTIp) on metabolic alterations in Wistar rats with obesity and dyslipidemia was evaluated. Three groups of animals with obesity and dyslipidemia were formed, consuming a high glycemic index and glycemic load (HGLI) diet, for 10 days: Obese/HGLI diet; Obese/standard diet; Obese/HGLI diet + TTIp (730 μg/kg); and one eutrophic group of animals was fed a standard diet. Rats were evaluated daily for food intake and weight gain. On the 11th day, animals were anesthetized and sacrificed for blood and visceral adipose tissue collection. TTIp treated animals presented significantly lower food intake than the untreated group (p = 0.0065), TG (76.20 ± 18.73 mg/dL) and VLDL-C (15.24 ± 3.75 mg/dL). Plasma concentrations and TNF-α mRNA expression in visceral adipose tissue also decreased in obese animals treated with TTIp (p < 0.05 and p = 0.025, respectively) with a negative immunostaining. We conclude that TTIp presented anti-TNF-α activity and an improved lipid profile of Wistar rats with dyslipidemia and obesity induced by a high glycemic index and load diet regardless of PPAR-γ induction.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Obesity has emerged as one of the main public health problems. This condition triggers a series of hormonal and metabolic changes related to a low-grade chronic inflammatory condition. The trypsin inhibitor purified from tamarind (TTIp) seeds is a promising anti-inflammatory molecule, but its safety needs to be evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate TTIp bioactive dose effects on organs involved in its metabolism (liver and pancreas) and affected tissues (small intestine and perirenal adipose tissue) in an obesity model. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Three groups of adult male Wistar rats were used (n = 5). Two of these groups had diet-induced obesity, and a third group was eutrophic. TTIp was administered by gavage in one of the obese groups for 10 days, while the remaining groups received a vehicle. The chromatographic profile and the inhibition assay corroded the purification of the inhibitor. Physical and behavioral changes, liver enzymes, and stereological and histopathological analyses of tissues were evaluated. <b><i>Results:</i></b> TTIp did not cause visible signs of toxicity, nor caused changes in liver enzymes, the liver, and pancreatic tissues. TTIp did not cause changes in the intestinal mucosa, showing improvement in the villi’s histopathological characteristics compared to the group of animals with obesity without treatment with TTIp (<i>p</i> = 0.004). The analysis of perirenal adipose tissue showed that the average sectional area of animals with obesity that received TTIp did not differ from the control. There was a difference between the high glycemic load diet group and the group treated with the inhibitor (351.8 ± 55.5) (<i>p</i> = 0.016). In addition, the group that received TTIp had no inflammatory infiltrates. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Based on histological and stereological analysis, the use of TTIp is potentially safe and anti-inflammatory in the evaluated obesity model and can be investigated as a possible adjuvant in obesity therapy.

Introdução: A Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica tem apresentado alta mortalidade em todo o mundo, associada a fatores de risco cardiovascular como o excesso de peso e a obesidade abdominal. Objetivo: Avaliar os índices antropométricos e pressão arterial em adolescentes e adultos jovens do município de Santa Cruz-RN. Método: Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, do tipo transversal, realizado com 86 indivíduos com idade média de 19,0 ± 0,97 anos. Foram avaliados o Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC), Relação Cintura Estatura (RCE), Relação Cintura Quadril (RCQ), Índice de Conicidade (IC) e Pressão Arterial (PA). Os dados foram analisados no programa SPSS versão 23.0, apresentados em percentual, média e desvio padrão. O teste T de Student foi aplicado para avaliar a diferença entre as médias, a correlação entre medidas antropométricas e a pressão arterial pela correlação de Pearson. Resultados: A prevalência maior foi do sexo feminino, 81,4%. A obesidade esteve mais presente nos meninos adolescentes do que nas meninas, 33,3 e 13,9% respectivamente, bem como nos adultos jovens 28,6% em homens e 11,8% em mulheres. A RCE se mostrou mais elevada nas meninas e mulheres adultas (0,46 ± 0,07, 0,50 ± 0,08). Em contrapartida, a RCQ e IC se mostraram maiores nos meninos (0,79 ± 0,06; 1,12 ± 0,74)  e nos homens adultos (0,82 ± 0,09; 1,15 ± 0,12) respectivamente. Em ambos os grupos houve correlação positiva moderada entre o IMC e a RCE com a PA (p<0,05). Conclusões: Os índices antropométricos apresentaram correlação positiva com a elevação da pressão arterial, destacando-se o IMC e a RCE nos adolescentes e adultos jovens. Palavras-Chave: Antropometria, Estado Nutricional, Hipertensão Arterial.

Introduction: Obesity and coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 are overlapping pandemics, and one might worsen the other. Methods: This narrative review discusses one of the primary mechanisms to initiate acute respiratory distress syndrome, uncontrolled systemic inflammation in COVID-19, and presents a potential candidate for adjuvant treatment. Blocking the S protein binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) and the 3C-like protease (3CL pro) is an effective strategy against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Results: Host proteases such as FURIN, trypsin, and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS) act in S protein activation. Tamarind trypsin inhibitor (TTI) shows several beneficial effects on the reduction of inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], leptin) and biochemical parameters (fasting glycemia, triglycerides, and very low-density lipoprotein [VLDL]), in addition to improving pancreatic function and mucosal integrity in an obesity model. TTI may inhibit the action of proteases that collaborate with SARS-CoV-2 infection and the neutrophil activity characteristic of lung injury promoted by the virus. Conclusion: Thus, TTI may contribute to combating two severe overlapping problems with high cost and social complex implications, obesity and COVID-19.

Bacterial infections have become a global concern, stimulating the growing demand for natural and biologically safe therapeutic agents with antibacterial action. This study was evaluated the genotoxicity of the trypsin inhibitor isolated from tamarind seeds (TTI) and the antibacterial effect of TTI theoric model, number 56, and conformation number 287 (TTIp 56/287) and derived peptides in silico . TTI (0.3 and 0.6 mg.mL −1 ) did not cause genotoxicity in cells ( p > 0.05). In silico , a greater interaction of TTIp 56/287 with the Gram-positive membrane (GP) was observed, with an interaction potential energy (IPE) of −1094.97 kcal.mol −1 . In the TTIp 56/287-GP interaction, the Arginine, Threonine (Thr), and Lysine residues presented lower IPE. In molecular dynamics (MD), Peptidotrychyme59 (TVSQTPIDIPIGLPVR) showed an IPE of −518.08 kcal.mol −1 with the membrane of GP bacteria, and the Thr and Arginine residues showed the greater IPE. The results highlight new perspectives on TTI and its derived peptides antibacterial activity.

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Background:Animal, cell, and in vitro studies have been applied to simulate the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and evaluate the behavior of biomolecules. Understanding the peptides and/or proteins stability when exposed to these physiological conditions of the GIT can assist in the application of these molecules in the treatment of diseases such as obesity. This study describes a protocol of systematic reviews to analyze the methodologies that mimic the digestive and absorptive processes of peptides and/or proteins.Methods:The protocol follows the guidelines described by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes Protocols (PRISMA-P). The search strategies will be applied in the electronic databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, Evidence portal, Virtual Health Library, and EMBASE. The intervention group will be formed by in vivo, in cells, and in vitro (gastrointestinal simulating fluids) studies of digestion and absorption of peptides and/or proteins presenting a schedule, duration, frequency, dosages administered, concentration, and temperature, and the control group consisting in studies without peptides and/or proteins. The selection of studies, data extraction, and assessment of the risk of bias will be carried out independently by 2 reviewers. For animal studies, the risk of bias will be assessed by the instrument of the Systematic Review Center for Experimentation with Laboratory Animals (SYRCLE) and the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) tool will be used to assess the risk of bias in cell studies.Results:This protocol contemplates the development of 2 systematic reviews and will assist the scientific community in identifying methods related to the digestive and absorptive processes of peptides and/or proteins.Conclusion:Both systematic reviews resulting from this protocol will provide subsidies for the construction of research related to the clinical application of bioactive peptides and/or proteins. In this context, they will make it possible to understand the gastrointestinal processes during administering these molecules, as the gastrointestinal environment can affect its functionality. Therefore, validating the effectiveness of these protocols is important, as it mimics in vitro biological conditions, reducing the use of animals, being consistent with the reduction, refine and replace program.