High fat diet altered cardiac metabolic gene profile in Psammomys obesus gerbils

Figures

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  Fig. 1. Representative hematoxylin and eosin-stained myocardial sections from Psammomys obesus gerbils fed with normal diet (a, b) or high fat diet (c-e) during 16 weeks. Myocardial sections were obtained at 1000-fold (a-d; Scale bars: 20 μm) and 400-fold (e; Scale bar: 50 μm) magnification. In normal diet-fed animals, myocardial sections showed normal histological heart architecture with myofibrils and muscle bundles (a, b). In 16-week high fat diet fed animals, hematoxylin and eosin stained-myocardial sections showed infiltrating inflammatory cells (c) and lipid accumulation (d, e)

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  Fig. 2. Representative Masson Trichrome-stained myocardial sections from Psammomys obesus gerbils fed with normal diet (a, b) or with high fat diet (c-f) during 16 weeks. Trichrome Masson staining was performed to detect fibrotic areas (collagen fibers stained in green; indicated by arrows in a-e). Myocardial sections were obtained at 400-fold (a-e; scale bars: 50 μm) and 1000-fold (f; scale bar: 20 μm) magnification. In animals fed with normal diet, cardiac cells were arranged orderly, with structured cardiac muscle fiber organization and little collagen fiber deposit (a, b). In 16-week high fat diet fed animals, Trichrome Masson-stained myocardial sections showed diffuse fibrosis (mostly in perivascular areas; c and d) and lipid deposit (f)

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  Fig. 3. Myocardial activation of apoptotic processes assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) in Psammomys obesus gerbils fed with normal diet or high fat diet during 16 weeks. Myocardial sections were obtained at 400-fold (a; Scale bars: 50 μm). Cardiac apoptotic rate (in percentage; b) was evaluated as the ratio between the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cardiomyocytes (brown nuclei mentioned by arrows) and the total number of cardiomyocytes (brown + blue nuclei) in 16-week normal (n = 10; yellow bars) and high fat diet (n = 10; blue bars)-fed animals. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM.***P < 0.001 versus the normal diet fed animals

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  Fig. 4. Myocardial expression of genes implicated in uptake and metabolism of glucose and fatty acids, including the solute carrier family 2 members 1 (Slc2a1 also called GLUT1; a) and 4 (Slc2a4 also called GLUT4; a); the carnitine palmitoyltransferase1B (CPT1B; b), the CD36 (b) and the fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3; b); of transcription factors implicated in cardiac metabolism regulation, including the peroxisome proliferator activated receptors-alpha (PPAR-α; c) and -gamma (PPAR-γ; c); the protein kinase AMP-activated (AMPK; d), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4; d) and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3; d); and of insulin receptors (IRS)1 and 2 (e) in 16-week normal (n = 10; yellow bars) versus high fat (n = 10; blue bars) diet fed Psammomys obesus gerbils. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. * 0.01 < P < 0.05, high fat diet- versus normal diet-fed Psammomys obesus animals

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  Fig. 5. Myocardial expression of cardiac stress-response gene, natriuretic peptide B (NPPB) in 16-week normal (n = 10; yellow bars) versus high fat (n = 10; blue bars) diet fed Psammomys obesus gerbils. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. * 0.01 < P < 0.05, high fat diet- versus normal diet-fed Psammomys obesus animals