Tratamento com cinamaldeído reprograma danos metabólicos induzidos pela superalimentação precoce em ratos

Nutrition at the early stages of life contributes to childhood obesity development and is associated with other comorbidities in adult life. Cinnamaldehyde, the major component of cinnamon, increases insulin sensitivity, modulates adiposity and lipid metabolism, therefore this study aimed to analyze the impact of cinnamaldehyde treatment during adolescence in a rat model of early obesity (induced by litter size reduction). At postnatal day 30 (adolescence), the animals received cinnamaldehyde by gavage (40mg/Kg of body weight/day) for 30 days. Male Wistar rats were studied after ending treatment at 60 days of age, or 4 months thereafter (180 days of age). At 60 days of age, the treatment with cinnamaldehyde promoted reduced visceral adiposity, serum triacylglycerol, and attenuation of energy efficiency and insulin resistance. The treatment reduced adipocyte size in visceral and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT), reduced lipogenesis in both, while stimulated browning markers in subcutaneous compartment. In brown adipose tissue (BAT), higher expression of marker of beta oxidation and thermogenesis were observed. In the liver, it was observed reduced lipid synthesis, stimulated autophagy and reduced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. At 180 days of age, animals treated with cinnamaldehyde during the adolescence exhibited normalization of visceral adiposity, BAT lipid accumulation and energy efficiency, attenuation of hyperphagia, of serum hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic triacylglycerol content, with molecular markers indicative of reduced hepatic synthesis. At WAT, the treatment reduced adipocyte size and lipogenesis in visceral, subcutaneous WAT and BAT. However, the beneficial effect observed at 60 days on glucose homeostasis, BAT activation, autophagy and ER stress at liver, were lost. Therefore, the cinnamaldehyde supplementation during the adolescence has short- and long-term metabolic beneficial effects, highlighting its deprogramming effect and potential as an adjuvant in the treatment of early obesity.