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Sex-related differences in the effects of high-fat diets on DHEA-treated rats

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Abstract

Several studies have investigated the beneficial effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on lipid and glucose metabolism. However, many of these studies are inconclusive about the effects of DHEA administration on metabolic disorders, and there appear to be sex-related differences in the effects of DHEA treatment. Few animal studies have addressed the effects of DHEA on diet-induced metabolic disorders. The present study sought to ascertain whether sex differences exist in the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on weight gain, adiposity, and biochemical and hormonal parameters in DHEA-treated rats. Rats were fed a HFD for 4 weeks and simultaneously received treatment with DHEA (10 mg/kg by subcutaneous injection) once weekly. Body weight, retroperitoneal fat depot weight, serum glucose, insulin, and leptin levels, and hepatic lipids were measured. HFD exposure increased the adiposity index in both sexes, the hepatic triglyceride content in both sexes, and the hepatic total cholesterol level in males. Moreover, the HFD induced an increase in blood glucose levels in both sexes, and hyperinsulinemia in males. In this experimental model, DHEA treatment reduced hepatic triglyceride levels only in females, regardless of HFD exposure. Exposure to a HFD, even if it does not cause obesity, may enhance risk factors for metabolic disorders, and males are more sensitive to this effect. DHEA treatment can help prevent metabolic derangements, but its effect varies with sex.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Brazilian research agencies CAPES and CNPq.

Ethical standards

Throughout the experimental procedures, the animals were treated in accordance with the Guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals issued by the Brazilian National Council for Animal Experimentation (COBEA). All efforts were made to reduce both animal suffering and the number of animals used. The animal research protocols were approved by the UFRGS Ethics Committee (accredited by the National Research Ethics Commission) under project registration number 19788.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Interação Neuro-Humoral, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90050-170, Brazil

    Ana Lúcia Cecconello, Ana Lúcia Hoefel, Cláudia Vieira Marques, Bruno Dutra Arbo, Gabriela Osterkamp & Maria Flávia Marques Ribeiro

  2. Laboratório de Metabolismo e Endocrinologia Comparada, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90050-170, Brazil

    Marcia Trapp, Ana Lúcia Hoefel & Luiz Carlos Rios Kucharski

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  1. Ana Lúcia Cecconello
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  2. Marcia Trapp
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Cecconello, A.L., Trapp, M., Hoefel, A.L. et al. Sex-related differences in the effects of high-fat diets on DHEA-treated rats. Endocrine 48, 985–994 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-014-0396-6

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