Male and Female Rats Have Different Physiological Response to High-Fat High-Sucrose Diet but Similar Myocardial Sensitivity to Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Abstract

Prediabetes is a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes and its associated cardiovascular complications, but few studies explore sexual dimorphism in this context. Here, we aim to determine whether sex influences physiological response to high-fat high-sucrose diet (HFS) and myocardial tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Male and female Wistar rats were subjected to standard (CTRL) or HFS diet for 5 months. Then, ex-vivo experiments on isolated perfused heart model were performed to evaluate tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury. HFS diet induced fasting hyperglycemia and increased body fat percent to a similar level in both sexes. However, glucose intolerance was more pronounced in female HFS. Cholesterol was increased only in female while male displayed higher level of plasmatic leptin. We observed increased heart weight to tibia length ratio only in males, but we showed a similar decrease in tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury in female and male HFS compared with respective controls, characterized by impaired cardiac function, energy metabolism and coronary flow during reperfusion. In conclusion, as soon as glucose intolerance and hyperglycemia develop, we observe higher sensitivity of hearts to ischemia-reperfusion injury without difference between males and females.

Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome Altered Bladder Urothelium in Adult Female Rats

“…The treatment time was adjusted to 10 weeks, derived from the fact that as indicated above, pathogenesis in females is slower due to the protective effect of estrogens [8]. The manifestations observed in the bladder coincide with problems such as cystitis [9], in which there is desquamation and a loss of umbrella cells. In the case of the CAF diet, in addition, disarray and many pyknotic nuclei were found, suggesting an increase in cell death.…”

“…Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a set of disorders characterized by low-grade inflammation that alters various systems and is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease [8]. Diet plays a crucial role in the development of MetS, with the combination of high caloric intake, poor nutrient quality, and unhealthy food choices contributing to its negative impact on overall health [9]. Considering that women are more affected by bladder diseases such as UI, it is of relevance to analyze the effect of metabolic syndrome (MS) models of diet, using a cafeteria diet (CAF) or high-fat/high-sugar diet (HF/HS), on the bladder urothelia of female rats.…”

High-Fat and High-Sucrose Diet Leads to Skeletal Muscle Loss and Bladder Dysfunction in Rat

“…7 Furthermore, despite the HFS diet, a significant increase in BW was observed only in male rats, and female rats were resistant to enriched diets in some studies. 8,9 Bladder ischemia is one of the key factors that induces bladder function deterioration. Previous studies demonstrated that bladder capacity and the contractile responses of bladder strips were decreased in atherosclerosis-induced chronic bladder ischemic model in rats and rabbits.…”

miRNA and leptin signaling in metabolic diseases and at extreme environments

“…This diet increased leptin levels in plasma of male rats but the cholesterol level was lower compared to female rats. 159 However, diets containing high fat, carbohydrates (such as fructose and sucrose) and low proteins promote leptin resistance. 160 Mediterranean diet acts as anti‐inflammatory diet that decrease leptin levels and promote leptin sensitivity while the Western diets with high saturated fatty acids enhance leptin resistance leading to obesity and induce T2D, cardiovascular health risk and certain cancers.…”