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High sugar and butter (HSB) diet induces obesity and metabolic syndrome with decrease in regulatory T cells in adipose tissue of mice

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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of the study was to develop a novel diet based on standard AIN93G diet that would be able to induce experimental obesity and impair immune regulation with high concentrations of both carbohydrate and lipids.

Methods

To compare the effects of this high sugar and butter (HSB) diet with other modified diets, male C57BL/6 mice were fed either mouse chow, or AIN93G diet, or high sugar (HS) diet, or high-fat (HF) diet, or high sugar and butter (HSB) diet for 11 weeks ad libitum. HSB diet induced higher weight gain. Therefore, control AIN93G and HSB groups were chosen for additional analysis. Regulatory T cells were studied by flow cytometry, and cytokine levels were measured by ELISA.

Results

Although HF and HSB diets were able to induce a higher weight gain compatible with obesity in treated mice, HSB-fed mice presented the higher levels of serum glucose after fasting and the lowest frequency of regulatory T cells in adipose tissue. In addition, mice that were fed HSB diet presented higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, hyperleptinemia, increased resistin and leptin levels as well as reduced adiponectin serum levels. Importantly, we found increased frequency of CD4+CD44+ effector T cells, reduction of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ and Th3 regulatory T cells as well as decreased levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in adipose tissue of HSB-fed mice.

Conclusion

Therefore, HSB represents a novel model of obesity-inducing diet that was efficient in triggering alterations compatible with metabolic syndrome as well as impairment in immune regulatory parameters.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Ilda Marçal de Souza for the excellent care of our animal facility, and to Lilian Gonçalves Teixeira for technical support in the diet design. This study had the following sources of financial support: FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais), CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal do Ensino Superior), and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Grant# 471571/2008-3). T.U.M. and J.L.Z. conceptualized and designed the experiments; M.C.G.M, V.D.M, L.S.H. and T.G.M. helped conducting the work; A.F.S. helped conducting the project and writing the paper, and A.M.C.F. designed and supervised the research project. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Nutrição, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP: 30130-100, Brazil

    Tatiani Uceli Maioli

  2. Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Juliana Lauar Gonçalves, Mariana Camila Gonçalves Miranda, Vinícius Dantas Martins, Laila Sampaio Horta, Thais Garcias Moreira, Andrezza Fernanda Santiago & Ana Maria Caetano Faria

  3. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Ana Lucia Brunialti Godard

  4. Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Juliana Lauar Gonçalves

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  1. Tatiani Uceli Maioli
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Correspondence to Tatiani Uceli Maioli.

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Maioli, T.U., Gonçalves, J.L., Miranda, M.C.G. et al. High sugar and butter (HSB) diet induces obesity and metabolic syndrome with decrease in regulatory T cells in adipose tissue of mice. Inflamm. Res. 65, 169–178 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-015-0902-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-015-0902-1

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