Nuclear Factor [Erythroid-derived 2]-like 2 and Mitochondrial Transcription Factor A Contribute to Moderate-intensity Swimming Effectiveness against Memory Impairment in Young Mice Induced by Concomitant Exposure to a High-calorie Diet during the Early Life Period

Normal and Pathological NRF2 Signalling in the Central Nervous System

The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) was originally described as a master regulator of antioxidant cellular response, but in the time since, numerous important biological functions linked to cell survival, cellular detoxification, metabolism, autophagy, proteostasis, inflammation, immunity, and differentiation have been attributed to this pleiotropic transcription factor that regulates hundreds of genes. After 40 years of in-depth research and key discoveries, NRF2 is now at the center of a vast regulatory network, revealing NRF2 signalling as increasingly complex. It is widely recognized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in human physiological and pathological processes such as ageing, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. The high oxygen consumption associated with high levels of free iron and oxidizable unsaturated lipids make the brain particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress. A good stability of NRF2 activity is thus crucial to maintain the redox balance and therefore brain homeostasis. In this review, we have gathered recent data about the contribution of the NRF2 pathway in the healthy brain as well as during metabolic diseases, cancer, ageing, and ageing-related neurodegenerative diseases. We also discuss promising therapeutic strategies and the need for better understanding of cell-type-specific functions of NRF2 in these different fields.

Swimming training mitigates the sex-specific hepatic disruption caused by a high-calorie diet: The putative modulation of Nrf2/Keap-1 pathway in male mice

This study investigated whether swimming protocol induces adaptations to sex-specific oxidative stress and Nrf2/Keap-1 pathway in the liver of mice fed a high-calorie diet (HCD) during the early life period. Male and female Swiss mice were fed a standard or high-calorie (enriched with 20% lard and 20% corn syrup) diets, and the trained mice were subjected to a swimming protocol (5 days/week) from 21^st to 49^th postnatal days. Males fed a HCD had more pronounced alterations in all parameters evaluated than females. Although there was no increase in body weight, the fat deposition was higher in male mice exposed to diet. The intake of HCD induced dyslipidemia mainly in males. In a sex-dependent manner, the hepatic markers of oxidative damage, antioxidant defences, and a sensitive sulfhydryl protein were altered in mice fed a HCD. Swimming counteracted dyslipidemia, hepatic oxidative stress, and the Nrf2/Keap-1 signalling downregulation, in a sex-dependent manner, in mice exposed to a HCD. These findings demonstrate that a non-pharmacological therapy, swimming protocol, contributed to adaptations of sex-specific hepatic oxidative stress and Nrf2/Keap-1 regulation in male mice fed a HCD.