Abstract
We evaluated the effect of exercise and vitamin D supplementation on histological aspects of the spleens of lean and obese rats. Male Wistar rats received neonatal administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG; 4g/Kg), while Control (CON) rats received an equimolar solution. At 30 days of age, CON and MSG rats were subdivided into Exercised (E) or Sedentary (S) groups and Vitamin D (VD; 12µg/Kg) supplemented or non-supplemented (NS) groups. At the 86th day of life, rats were euthanized, and their body weights and adiposity were evaluated. Spleens were submitted to histomorphometric analysis of the white pulp (WP), germinal center (GC) and lymphatic nodule (LN). Data are presented as mean ± SEM (p<0.05). MSG treatment promoted a reduction in spleen weight, increased LN thickness and WP area, but reduced GC occupation, compared to spleens of CON-lean rats (p<0.05). Exercise and VD did not provoke changes in the spleens of MSG-obese rats. In CON-lean rats, E and VD induced augmentation of LN thickness. VD supplementation increased the WP area, while E reduced GC area occupation in spleens of CON-lean rats (p<0.05). In conclusion, exercise and VD supplementation increased LN thickness and WP area, but had the opposite effect on the GC in spleens of CON-lean rats. However, neither exercise nor VD supplementation prevented the development of morphological abnormalities in the spleens of MSG-obese rats.
Highlights
Increased spleen volume may occur in obesity, and can be considered a stable marker of inflammation, as well as of changes in the activation of splenic immune activity
Adiposity and Spleen Histology in monosodium glutamate (MSG)-obese Rats: Animals submitted to MSG treatment presented a reduction in body weight (BW) (26.98%) and higher perirenal fat content (59.09%), in relation to CON lean animals
After the histological analysis of the stained spleen sections, no differences were observed in the number of White pulp (WP) and the germinal center (GC) area, when comparing the spleens of CON and MSG-treated rats
Summary
Increased spleen volume may occur in obesity, and can be considered a stable marker of inflammation, as well as of changes in the activation of splenic immune activity. In this regard, the expressions of pro inflammatory cytokines, such as, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) appear to be augmented in obesity [1], while interleukin-10 (IL-10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine synthesized in the marginal zone of the spleen (B cells), appears to be reduced [2]. Athletes who are VD deficient and aim to improve their physical performance, as well as, invigorate their immune responses, can be benefited with VD supplementation [7] associated with exercises. The catecholamines have significant effects on immune activity, including on splenic immune response modulation [11]
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