Abstract
Obesity results from an energy imbalance and has been considered an epidemic due to its increasing rates worldwide. It is classified as a low-grade chronic inflammatory disease and has associated comorbidities. Different nutritional strategies are used for the purpose of weight loss, highlighting low-carbohydrate (LC) diets, ketogenic diets, and intermittent fasting (IF). These strategies can lead to metabolic and behavioral changes as they stimulate different biochemical pathways. Therefore, this study evaluated memory, energy metabolism, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and antioxidant defense parameters in mice subjected to an LC diet, ketogenic diet (KD), or IF. Eighty male Swiss mice, 60 days old, were divided into 4 groups: control, LC, KD, or IF. Body weight was measured weekly, and food intake every 48 h. After 15 days of nutritional interventions, the animals were subjected to the behavioral object recognition test and subsequently euthanized. Then, visceral fat was removed and weighed, and the brain was isolated for inflammatory and biochemical analysis. We concluded from this study that the LC and KD strategies could damage memory, IF improves the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and the LC, KD, and IF strategies do not lead to neuroinflammatory damage but present damage at the level of oxidative stress.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Anima Institute of Education, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), and the Foundation for Research and Innovation in the State of Santa Catarina (FAPESC).
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All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. The preparation of the materials was carried out by: Keila Rufatto de Souza, Nicole Alessandra Engel, Hevylin Jacintho Soares, Catarina Barbosa Chaves Bressan, Larissa Marques Dela Vedova, Larissa Espindola da Silva, Talita Farias Mendes, Mariella Reinol da Silva, Mariana Pacheco de Oliveira. Materials were collected by: Keila Rufatto de Souza, Nicole Alessandra Engel, Hevylin Jacintho Soares, Catarina Barbosa Chaves Bressan, Larissa Marques Dela Vedova, Larissa Espindola da Silva, Talita Farias Mendes, Gabriela Kozuchovski Ferreira, Mariella Reinol da Silva, Mariana Pacheco de Oliveira, and Gislaine Tezza Rezin. Biochemical analyzes related to oxidative stress were performed by: Amanda Indalecio Goulart, Monique Michels, João Vitor Silvano Bittencourt, Emily córneo, Heloísa de Medeiros Borges, Laura de Roch Casagrande, Fabricia Cardoso Petronilho, Felipe Dal-Pizzol, and Paulo Cesar Lock Silveira. The first version of the manuscript was written by Keila Rufatto de Souza, Mariana Pacheco de Oliveira, Larissa Espindola da Silva, Gislaine Tezza Rezin and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The use of animals was submitted and approved by the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals (CEUA) of the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina under protocol number 20.013.4.01.IV. The Principles of Laboratory Animal Care (Principles of Laboratory Animal Care, US National Institute of Health, NIH) were followed, as well as the Brazilian Directive for the Care and Use of Animals in Teaching or Scientific Research Activities – DBCA, from the National Council for the Control of Animal Experiments (CONCEA, 2016).
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de Souza, K.R., Engel, N.A., Soares, H.J. et al. Nutritional strategies cause memory damage and alter biochemical parameters without causing neuroinflammation. Metab Brain Dis 39, 635–648 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-023-01311-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-023-01311-6