Abstract
The present article aims to evaluate the impact of testosterone treatment on the expansion of visceral, subcutaneous and intramedullary adipose tissue of ovariectomized rats and the visceral and subcutaneous fat expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) gamma. METHODS: In total 48 female Wistar rats were castrated and randomly divided into 6 treatment groups: group E2 was submitted to estradiol 5 μg/day; group T, to testosterone 5 μg/day; group E2 + T, to estradiol 5 μg/day + testosterone 5 μg/day; group TT, to testosterone 30 μg/day; group E2 + TT, to estradiol 5 μg/day + testosterone 30 μg/day; and placebo was administered to group P. After 5 weeks, the rats were euthanized, the inguinal and visceral adipose tissues were harvested, weighted, and had their PPAR gamma expression evaluated by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The right femurs were harvested and histologically prepared to perform the number count of the intramedullary adipocytes. The expansion of visceral fat tissue was much higher in the TT group when compared with other treated groups (p < 0.001). The TT group also showed a higher expansion of inguinal fat (p < 0.01), and groups E2 + T and E2 + TT presented lower growth compared to the P group (p < 0.01). The number of femur intramedullary adipocytes only showed significant differences between groups TT and E2 + TT (p < 0.05). The expression of PPAR gamma showed no differences among the groups. The use of testosterone in high doses leads to an important expansion in both visceral and inguinal adipose tissues. Association with estradiol exerts an expansion-repressive effect on the visceral and inguinal adipose tissues.
Highlights
Sexual hormones are involved in the balance of energy, and they play essential roles in the control of food intake, energy metabolism and body weight.[1]
The expansion of visceral fat tissue was much higher in the testosterone μg/day (TT) group when compared with other treated groups (p < 0.001)
The TT group showed a higher expansion of inguinal fat (p < 0.01), and groups estradiol μg/day (E2) þ T and E2 þ TT presented lower growth compared to the P group (p < 0.01)
Summary
Sexual hormones are involved in the balance of energy, and they play essential roles in the control of food intake, energy metabolism and body weight.[1]. Modulation of these receptors determines the action of anti-lipogens, the increase in insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and the decrease in body weight and visceral mass.[1,6] Androgen receptors (ARs) are present in the fat tissue, but there is less evidence on their effect.[7,8] Some evidences associate androgens to lipogenesis stimulation and lipolysis inhibition on white visceral fat.[1,8]
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