Análise eletroforética de proteínas do cérebro de camundongos tratados com dieta rica em carboidratos refinados

Abstract

A diet rich in refined carbohydrates has been shown to impact not only metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes mellitus, but also behavioral and cognitive functions (memory and learning). The aim of this study was to evaluate the differential expression of proteins in the brains of Balb/c mice fed a high-refined carbohydrate diet. The animals were fed either a standard rodent diet or a diet rich in refined carbohydrates for eight weeks, then euthanized and dissected. The brains were homogenized and the supernatant was subjected to total protein assay. Aliquots of 10 µg were analyzed on 12.5% SDS-PAGE and the bands in stained gel had their relative molecular mass calculated. The electrophoretic profile of the samples revealed a protein expression of 91.6; 86.3; 74.3; 65.9; 56.8; 46.1; 40.9; 36.3; and 27.8 kDa in both groups, with no significant difference between them based on the optical density. This result differs from the literature, which has demonstrated molecular alterations in the brain caused by the sugar-rich diet. However, the proteins could be predicted and it is proposed that, in their majority, they are related to the brain's energy metabolism for carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids. The short amount of exposure time of the animals to the diet may justify the absence of protein alterations and the use of more accurate methodologies is necessary to identify the differential brain expression based on the high-refined carbohydrate diet, in order to clarify the molecular mechanisms that may be altered in the studied condition.