Efeitos do tratamento com erva-mate (Ilex paraguariensis) sobre desordens endócrinas e metabólicas em ratos obesos programados pelo desmame precoce

Abstract

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) contributes to weight loss and insulin resistance improvement, even in combination with high-fat diet, arousing the interest of its use as a possible strategy to obesity control. Previously, we demonstrated that early weaned rats develop obesity, hyperleptinemia, insulin and leptin resistance in adulthood. Here we evaluate the benefits of aqueous extract of Ilex paraguariensis on body composition, hormonal and lipid profiles, leptin signaling, neuropeptides involved in the control of food intake, inflammatory markers and oxidative stress. To induce the early weaning, the nipples of lactating rats were blocked with a bandage for interrupt the offspring's access to breast milk in the last 3 days of lactation (EW group). Pups of C group had free access to milk during 21 days. At 150 days, EW offspring were subdivided into: EW and EW + Mate, according to the treatment (water or aqueous extract of yerba mate 1g/kg body weight, respectively), by gavage daily for 30 days. C offspring received water by gavage for 30 days. At 180 days, all groups were killed by decapitation. Data were significant when p<0.05. At PN180 (1 month after treatment), Mate treatment prevents most of the EW observed changes in body mass (+9 %), epididymal and retroperitoneal adipose tissue masses (+34% and +39%, respectively), total body fat (+76%), subcutaneous fat (+61%), visceral adipocytes area (+34%) and triglycerides (+35%), TNF-α in ARC nucleus (57%), mRNA of IL-1β in adipocyte (+368%), liver steatosis percentage (+4,8 times) and TBARS levels in plasma and liver (+56%, +87%). SOD activity that was lower in EW group, was normalized by mate treatment, while paradoxically higher catalase activity in EW was also normalized with mate treatment. No changes in blood glucose and HDL-c in the EW group were observed after yerba mate treatment. The hyperphagia was not found in EW+Mate group, probably due to the partial normalization of leptin signaling (confirmed by the test of anorexigenic leptin effect) and for the lower NPY and higher POMC. Here, we showed that 30 days of yerba mate aqueous extract treatment was able to prevent abdominal obesity, leptin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and some changes of the inflammatory profile and oxidative stress in obese rats programmed by EW, making the use of yerba mate a promising strategy to the control of body weight and metabolic disorders.