Resveratrol, in vitro and at low concentration, modulates genes that are related to lipid metabolism, possibly preventing metabolic disease in human visceral adipose tissue (VAT).

Downregulation of SIRT1 mRNA expression in VAT of SHS could be possible impairing mitochondria biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation, promoting severe steatosis in obese patients. Our results provide a possible proof of SIRT1 protective potential in VAT against NAFLD in humans.

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Guanosine (GUO) has neuroprotective effects in experimental models of brain diseases involving glutamatergic excitotoxicity in male animals; however, its effects in female animals are poorly understood. Thus, we investigated the influence of gender and GUO treatment in adult male and female Wistar rats submitted to focal permanent cerebral ischemia in the motor cortex brain. Female rats were subdivided into non-estrogenic and estrogenic phase groups by estrous cycle verification. Immediately after surgeries, the ischemic animals were treated with GUO or a saline solution. Open field and elevated plus maze tasks were conducted with ischemic and naïve animals. Cylinder task, immunohistochemistry and infarct volume analyses were conducted only with ischemic animals. Female GUO groups achieved a full recovery of the forelimb symmetry at 28-35 days after the insult, while male GUO groups only partially recovered at 42 days, in the final evaluation. The ischemic insult affected long-term memory habituation to novelty only in female groups. Anxiety-like behavior, astrocyte morphology and infarct volume were not affected. Regardless the estrous cycle, the ischemic injury affected differently female and male animals. Thus, this study points that GUO is a potential neuroprotective compound in experimental stroke and that more studies, considering the estrous cycle, with both genders are recommended in future investigation concerning brain diseases.

In the present work, we evaluated the effect of gestational hypermethioninemia on locomotor activity, anxiety, memory, and exploratory behavior of rat offspring through the following behavior tests: open field, object recognition, and inhibitory avoidance. Histological analysis was also done in the brain tissue of pups. Wistar female rats received methionine (2.68 μmol/g body weight) by subcutaneous injections during pregnancy. Control rats received saline. Histological analyses were made in brain tissue from 21 and 30 days of age pups. Another group was left to recover until the 30th day of life to perform behavior tests. Results from open field task showed that pups exposed to methionine during intrauterine development spent more time in the center of the arena. In the object recognition memory task, we observed that methionine administration during pregnancy reduced total exploration time of rat offspring during training session. The test session showed that methionine reduced the recognition index. Regarding to inhibitory avoidance task, the decrease in the step-down latency at 1 and 24 h after training demonstrated that maternal hypermethioninemia impaired short-term and long-term memories of rat offspring. Electron microscopy revealed alterations in the ultrastructure of neurons at 21 and 30 days of age. Our findings suggest that the cell morphological changes caused by maternal hypermethioninemia may be, at least partially, associated to the memory deficit of rat offspring.