Effect of an alfa-MSH analogue against oxidative damage induced by saturated fatty acid in vitro and in vivo

D. RAMIREZ; J. SABA; J. TURATI; L. CARNIGLIA; D. DURAND; C. CARUSO; M. LASAGA

Edimburgo

Congreso; XIII European Meeting on Glial Cells and Disease; 2017

Glia

High fat diet (HFD) induces a chronic and low-grade inflammation in several tissues, including the central nervous system. The excess of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the diet results in oxidative stress that is one of the key factors involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic dysfunction.Melanocortins are endogenous neuropeptides with proved anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, α-MSH plays an important role in the regulation of energy balance. We have previously shown that α-MSH exerts anti-inflammatory actions through MC4 receptors in astrocytes and microglia. We have also reported that melanocortins, acting via MC4R, increase BDNF levels in the hypothalamus. So we decided to test the effect of an α-MSH analogue (NDP-MSH) against oxidative damage induced by SFA in vitro in rat cultured astrocytes and in vivo in the hypothalamus of HFD animals.In vitro experiments: We determined that palmitic acid (PA), a SFA, induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in a dose-dependent manner in astrocytes after 2 h of treatment. NDP-MSH reduced PA-induced ROS production (p