MODULATION OF CHOLESTEROL SYNTHESIS IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS BY CADMIUM AND SOYBEAN-DIETARY PROTEINS

PLATEO PIGNATARI G; BOLDRINI GG; RAMIREZ DC; GIMENEZ MS

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LI Reunión Anual Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2015

Cadmium (Cd) neurotoxicity may be related to its effects on lipid metabolism. Soybean-dietary proteins have a number of health-beneficial effects due to their antioxidant properties. Herein, we aimed at testing whether Cd in the drinking water can modify lipid metabolism in the hippocampus (Hp), and if so, whether this effect can be modulated by dietary soybean-proteins. We fed 4 groups of female Wistar-rats for 60 days as follows: casein-based diet + tap water (CBD); CBD + tap water with 15 ppm Cd (CDB-Cd); soybean-based diet + tap water (SBD); and SBD + tap water with 15 ppm Cd (SBD-Cd). In relation to the CBD group, the CBD-Cd group showed decreased body-weight gain, increased systolic-blood pressure, decreased diastolic-blood pressure, increased triglycerides and total cholesterol?increased LDL-c but decreased HDL-c. These parameters were not affected in the SBD-Cd group.Previously, we show that in the Hp, Cd increases the content of pro-inflammatory fatty acids (C18:00, C20:4,C22:5(n-3)) in both diets (CBD and SBD). Herein we show that with respect to CBD, Cd increased fatty-acid synthase and DGAT-2, but no changed HMG-CoA reductase mRNAs (RT-PCR). Whereas, SBD reduced cholesterol content and also HMG-CoA reductase mRNAs in Hp. Our findings suggest that Cd modifies cholesterol synthesis in the Hp, and that these effects are prevented by soybean-dietary proteins.