Gene expression of the immunoinflammatory and immunological status of obese dogs before and after weight loss

Abstract

Obesity is characterized by a low degree of chronic inflammation state that, along with metabolic modifications, promotes important changes in the animal's organism. Adipose tissue actively participates in inflammation and immunity, and several defense cells of the organism may, therefore, be involved in the diversity found between obese and ideal weight individuals. Studies regarding this subject have shown immune cell changes in humans and rats, however, the literature is scarce in relation to dogs. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the gene expression profile of immunoinflammatory response and the lymphoproliferation of obese dogs before and after weight loss. Eight female dogs, neutered, of different breeds, aged between 1 and 8 years (4.74±3.19), obese, with body condition score (BCS) of 9 out of a 9-point scale and body composition determined by the deuterium isotope dilution method were included. The obese dogs were enrolled in a weight loss program and after losing 20% of their initial weight became a second experimental group. A third experimental group consisted of eight female dogs, neutered, aged between 1 and 8 years (3.11±0.78) and with ideal BCS (5 out of a 9-point scale). Gene expression of immunoinflammatory cytokines (resistin, leptin, adiponectin, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) was assessed by qRT-PCR and immunity was assessed by lymphoproliferative response using the flow cytometry technique. The data that presented normal distribution was evaluated by analysis of variance by the PROC MIXED of the SAS and when differences were detected, these were compared by the Tukey test. Regarding the gene expression data, the procedure PROC GLIMMIX was adopted and the methodology of generalized linear model was used, in which the Gama distribution proved to be adequate. Values of p<0.05 were considered significant. The mean weight loss period of the animals included in the study was 194.25 ± 28.31 days

Weight-loss in obese dogs promotes important shifts in fecal microbiota profile to the extent of resembling microbiota of lean dogs

“…In companion animals, a nutritional imbalance has been the most common cause and is mainly related to the prolonged imbalance between caloric intake and energy expenditure, which results in a chronic positive energy balance [9,10]. Excess body weight implies numerous negative effects on health, in addition to being a risk factor for several diseases, such as orthopedic alterations [11][12][13], cardiovascular [14][15][16][17][18], respiratory [19][20][21][22] and metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance [23] and hyperlipidemia [24,25], immunological disorders [26] and, more recently, obesity has been attributed to causing changes in the intestinal microbiome [27].…”

“…The high protein content can preserve muscle mass during weight loss, fiber helps to improve satiety [33]. Some studies show that weight loss can improve quality of life and reduce the circulation of inflammatory markers in obese dogs, but few studies have evaluated changes in the fecal microbiota [26,[34][35][36][37].…”

Mulberry Leaf Supplements Effecting Anti-Inflammatory Genes and Improving Obesity in Elderly Overweight Dogs

“…Obesity may cause chronic inflammation, as obesity is associated with chronic inflammation in obese subjects [ 26 ], and secretion of inflammatory adipokines (such as leptin, interleukin (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and resistin) are also reported to be secreted by adipocytes [ 27 ]. Weight control may reverse the expression of inflammatory markers and inflammation in obese dogs [ 28 ]. Anti-inflammation has the potential to reduce not only inflammation-related issues, but also obesity [ 29 ].…”

Evaluation of the nutrients supplied by veterinary diets commercialized in Brazil for obese dogs undergoing a weight loss program

“…Excess body weight has been associated with several diseases, such as orthopaedic (Brown et al., 1996; Kealy et al., 1997, 2000), cardiovascular (Edney & Smith, 1986; Pereira‐Neto et al., 2010, 2014; Piantedosi et al., 2016; Rocha et al., 2007; Tropf et al., 2017), respiratory (Bach et al., 2007; German, 2006; Hendricks, 1992; Pereira‐Neto et al., 2018) and metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance (Brunetto et al., 2011a) and hyperlipidaemia (Brunetto et al., 2011b; Chikamune et al., 1995; Jeusette et al., 2005), as well as immunological disorders (Vendramini et al., 2020). Obesity has been associated with a shorter life span in dogs (Kealy et al., 2002; Salt et al., 2019).…”