Lipid Peroxidation in Obesity: Can Bariatric Surgery Help?

Tributyltin-induced visceral adiposity is associated with impaired redox balance in white adipose tissue of male rats

Tributyltin (TBT) is an organotin compound that has several adverse health effects, including the development of obesity. Although obesity is strongly associated with adipose redox imbalance, there is a lack of information on whether TBT promotes a pro-oxidative environment in WAT. Thus, adult male Wistar rats were randomly exposed to either vehicle (ethanol 0.4%) or TBT (1000 ng/kg) for 30 days. Body and fat pad masses, visceral fat morphology, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, redox status markers, and catalase activity were evaluated. TBT promoted increased adiposity and visceral fat, with hypertrophic adipocytes, but did not alter body mass and subcutaneous fat. ROS production and lipid peroxidation were elevated in TBT group, as well as catalase protein expression and activity, although protein oxidation and glutathione peroxidase protein expression remained unchanged. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that subacute TBT administration leads to visceral adipose redox imbalance, with increased oxidative stress. This enlights the understanding of the metabolic toxic outcomes of continuous exposure to TBT in mammals.

Exotic fruits patents trends: An overview based on technological prospection with a focus on Amazonian

The Amazon rainforest encompasses one of the largest biodiversities of the world and is home to a wide variety of food and therapeutic plants. Due to the diversity of components, the fruits of the Amazon biome possess essential physicochemical, nutritional, and pharmacological properties, strengthening the idea that fruit consumption may provide benefits to human health. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the current scenario of the use of Amazonian fruits on the development of food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or cosmetic products through the study of filed patents. A prospecting strategy conducted focusing on patents was used to investigate the application of the following fruits: Euterpe oleracea, Oenocarpus bacaba, Caryocar brasiliense, Garcinia gardneriana, Nephelium lappaceum, and Astrocaryum vulgare. A total of 264 patent documents were found. In 2016, a peak of 33 applications was reached, followed by a peak in 2019 with 32 applications. The study is distributed in three main application areas: cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. The Asian continent was the region with the world leadership in this theme, followed by Brazil. Thus, technological prospection studies can foster investments in translational research to elucidate the effects and properties of Amazonian fruits, which can generate sustainable development of new products with industrial potential.