Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: DANIELA DANTAS DE GOIS

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : DANIELA DANTAS DE GOIS
DATE: 17/12/2025
TIME: 14:30
LOCAL: Auditório do Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Estrutural e Funciona
TITLE:

Therapeutic Potential of Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Extract on the Thyroid-Liver Axis in a Diet-Induced Obesity (DIO) Model

KEY WORDS:

Obesity, MASLD, hypothyroidism, Opuntia cochenillifera (L.), inflammation.

PAGES: 75
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Morfologia
SUBÁREA: Histologia
SUMMARY:

Obesity is a significant public health problem in Brazil, reducing life expectancy and consuming substantial financial resources from the Unified Health System (SUS). Obese individuals present with persistent systemic inflammation, resulting in clinical manifestations such as thyroid dysfunction (hypothyroidism) and metabolic steatotic liver disease associated with dysfunction (MASLD), which are closely related. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) extract (EOC) in the treatment of obesity and its outcomes on the thyroid-liver axis in an induced obesity model. Three-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were divided into four experimental groups (n=10): Control (C), Control + EOC (CP), High-fat (HF), and HF + EOC (HFP). Obesity was induced for 12 weeks, and EOC treatment was administered for an additional 8 weeks (200 mg/kg body mass). The following parameters were evaluated: body mass, food and energy intake, glycemic homeostasis, and lipid profile. In parallel, histological, stereological, and molecular analyses of mitochondrial (Opa-1, Pgc1-a), lipogenic (Fabp4, Srebp1c), hormonal (Thrb), and inflammatory (Il1-beta, Mcp-1, Nrlp3) markers were performed on the liver. The results demonstrated that the treatment exerted an anti-obesogenic and anorexigenic effect with a reduction in body mass (HFP vs HF, -24%), food intake (HFP vs HF, -26%), and energy intake (HFP vs HF, -28%). Regarding metabolic parameters, EOC improved glycemic indices (HFP vs HF -35% and area under the curve HFP vs HF -22%) and lipid indices (HFP vs HF -46% cholesterol and triacylglycerol -40%). In the liver, EOC mitigated MASLD by restoring hepatic morphology, evidenced by the lower density of steatosis volume in treated animals (HFP vs HF, -251%). Ultrastructural analyses showed that EOC recovered mitochondrial integrity and density, as well as alterations in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). At the molecular level, there was greater expression of Opa-1 and Pgc1-a (HFP vs HF +496% and HFP vs HF +149%), a reduction in Fabp4 and Srebp1c (HFP vs HF -281% and HFP vs HF -200%), as well as greater expression of Thrβ (HFP vs HF, +37%) in the treated animals, demonstrating an improvement in mitochondrial integrity and function; in lipid metabolism and greater sensitivity to the action of thyroid hormones. Furthermore, the treatment exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects, reducing the expression of the Il1-beta (HFP vs HF, -200%), Mcp-1 (HFP vs HF, -250%), and Nrlp3 (HFP vs HF, -71%) genes. Thus, OC extract emerges as a promising agent for the treatment of obesity and its repercussions on the onset and progression of MASLD. Ongoing thyroid structural analyses will complement these findings and elucidate the role of OC extract in the thyroid-liver axis.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 4507066 - CHRISTINA DA SILVA CAMILLO
Interna - 3357609 - FABIANE FERREIRA MARTINS
Interno - 1076490 - FERNANDO VAGNER LOBO LADD
Interno - 2329140 - RAIMUNDO FERNANDES DE ARAUJO JUNIOR