INTERMITTENT FASTING IMPROVES BODY WEIGHT, GLYCEMIA AND LIPID PROFILES AND DIFFERENTIALLY MODULATES SIRT1 EXPRESSION IN A MODEL OF INDUCED AGING

FERRAMOLA, M.; PONCE IT; FERNANDEZ G; DEVIA, C; PEREZ CM; PEREZ G; TORRES MS; VERA FN; ANZULOVICH AC; LACOSTE MG

San Juan

Congreso; SBCuyo 2023; 2023

Aging is a complex and multifactorial biological process that leads to a gradual deterioration of physical and cognitivecapacities and increases the susceptibility to develop chronic diseases. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a strategy that consistsof feeding and prolonged fasting alternating periods. Despite the growing information in favor of its benefits andmechanisms involved, there is still no conclusive evidence regarding its effects on the aging process, and even less in aninduced model. Here, we investigated the effect of IF on metabolism, cognitive performance, and enzyme and geneexpression in the liver and hippocampus in a D-galactose-induced aging model in rats. Wistar rats were randomly dividedinto three groups receiving daily: 1) physiological saline solution (CTL) via intraperitoneal injection (IP), 2) D-galactose150 mg/kg (GAL) via IP and, 3) D-galactose 150 mg/kg via IP + IF protocol (GAL+IF) for eight weeks. The IF protocolconsisted of ad libitum access to food for 24 hours that was alternated with 24 hours without food. We evaluated the bodymass, the liver and brain weights, the cognitive performance (Barnes Maze), metabolic parameters in serum (bloodglucose and lipid profile), the activity of catalase, a key enzyme of the antioxidant defense system, and the expressionlevels of SIRT1, an energy homeostasis regulator, in the liver and hippocampus. At the end of the treatment, we observedthat the GAL+IF group had lower body mass and liver weights in relation to the CTL and the GAL groups. We found nodifferences concerning cognitive performance between the groups. In relation to serum metabolic parameters, theGAL+IF group presented lower levels of glucose and triglycerides and higher levels of HDL-cholesterol than the GALgroup. SIRT1 expression was higher in the livers of the GAL group, while there was no difference in SIRT1 expressionin the hippocampus between the groups. In the case of catalase activity, we observed a tendency to increase in thehippocampus and to decrease in the liver of the GAL+IF group. The results of this study suggest that IF has positiveeffects on physical and metabolic parameters and a differential effect on gene expression and, probably, enzyme activityin the liver and hippocampus in a model of induced aging. Given that IF is becoming a widely used method, it is necessary