Gender-dimorphic regulation of antioxidant proteins in response to high-fat diet and sex steroid hormones in rats

Abstract

Despite the fact that gender dimorphism in diet-induced oxidative stress is associated with steroid sex hormones, there are some contradictory results concerning roles of steroid hormones in gender dimorphism. To evaluate the role of gender dimorphism as well as the effects of sex steroid hormones in response to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced oxidative stress, we measured cellular levels of major antioxidant proteins in the liver, abdominal white adipose tissue, and skeletal muscles of Sprague-Dawley rats following HFD or sex hormone treatment using Western blot analysis. Animal experiments revealed that 17β-estradiol, (E2) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) negatively and positively affected body weight gain, respectively. Interestingly, plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased in both E2- and DHT-treated rats. We also observed that cellular levels of classical antioxidant proteins, including catalase, glutathion peroxidase, peroxiredoxin, superoxide dismutase, and thioredoxin, were differentially regulated hormone- and gender-dependent manner in various metabolic tissues. In addition, tissue-specific expression of DJ-1 protein with respect to HFD-induced oxidative stress in association with sex steroid hormone treatment was observed for the first time. Taken together, our data show that females were more capable at overcoming oxidative stress than males through feasible expression of antioxidant proteins in metabolic tissues. Although the exact regulatory mechanism of sex hormones in diet-induced oxidative stress could not be fully elucidated, the current data will provide clues regarding the tissue-specific roles of antioxidant proteins during HFD-induced oxidative stress in association with sex steroid hormones.

Sex-Specific Effects of Nanoparticle-Encapsulated MitoQ (nMitoQ) Delivery to the Placenta in a Rat Model of Fetal Hypoxia

“…It is well known that the placenta functions and adapts to an adverse intrauterine environment in a sex-specific manner (reviewed by Clifton, 2010). Furthermore, generation of oxidative stress differs in both male and female fetuses and placentae under conditions of adverse prenatal stress (Chaudhari et al., 2014). Our current study further demonstrates a dichotomous sex-specific and nMitoQ-specific effect on the placenta and ultimately fetal development.…”

Resveratrol partially prevents oxidative stress and metabolic dysfunction in pregnant rats fed a low protein diet and their offspring

“…Mitochondria from female rats generate half the amount of hydrogen produced by males and have higher levels of mitochondrial reduced glutathione (Borras et al 2007). Cellular levels of anti-oxidant proteins, including catalase, glutathione peroxidase, peroxiredoxin, superoxide dismutase and thioredoxin, are regulated in sex-dependent manner in metabolic tissues in ways that may result in females having a greater capacity to combat oxidative stress than males (Chaudhari et al 2014). Further studies will need to be conducted to address these findings.…”

Effect of estrogen on expression of prohibitin in white adipose tissue and liver of diet-induced obese rats

“…In our previous studies, we found that several metabolic proteins in white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), the liver, and other metabolic tissues are regulated in a sex-dependent manner [25][26][27]. Thus, we hypothesized that the various expression patterns of those proteins are the result of differential hormonal regulation, specifically estrogen.…”