Page 59 - GTM-3-1

Global Translational Medicine

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Effects of high-calorie diet-induced visceral

obesity on reproductive hormones and muscle
tissues in male and female Wistar rats

Tatyana A. Mityukova*, Anastasia A. Basalai*, Olga Y. Poluliakh,
and Tatyana E. Kuznetsova
Department of Laboratory of Biomedical Technologies and Medical Rehabilitation, Institute of
Physiology, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Republic of Belarus

Abstract
Overweight and obesity are associated with alterations in the reproductive system,
which affect the anabolic supply to peripheral muscle tissues. The study aimed to
investigate the effects of a high-calorie diet (HCD) on the development of obesity,
reproductive hormone levels, and morphofunctional characteristics of muscle tissues
in Wistar rats (i.e., 54 sexually mature male and female Wistar rats) for 16 weeks. Male
rats fed with an HCD displayed (i) visceral obesity and hypogonadism, (ii) a decrease in
the mass of the musculus triceps surae, (iii) increased levels of total protein, cholesterol,
glucose, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, and malonic dialdehyde (MDA) and
superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, and (iv) stable concentrations of estradiol and
testosterone in the muscle tissues. In contrast, female rats fed with HCD displayed (i)
*Corresponding authors:
Tatyana A. Mityukova visceral obesity, (ii) alterations in reproductive hormones toward hyperandrogenism,
(mityukovat@gmail.com) (iii) decreased metabolism in the muscle tissues, and (iv) increased levels of estradiol
Anastasia A. Basalai and MDA (without SOD activation). The cross-sectional area of the muscle fiber was
(anastasiya.basalay@gmail.com)
significantly reduced by 20% in male and 44% in female rats on HCD. In addition, the
Citation: Mityukova TA, Basalai AA, total muscle edema was reportedly increased by twofold in both male and female rats.
Poluliakh OY, Kuznetsova TE.
Effects of high-calorie diet-induced In summation, obese male and female rats developed an imbalance of reproductive
visceral obesity on reproductive hormones and alterations in muscle tissue metabolism.
hormones and muscle tissues in
male and female Wistar rats. Global
Transl Med. 2024;3(1):2321. Keywords: Visceral obesity; High-calorie diet; Reproductive hormones; Muscle
https://doi.org/10.36922/gtm.2321
metabolism; Male and female Wistar rats
Received: November 27, 2023
Accepted: March 6, 2024
Published Online: March 21, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). 1. Introduction
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Obesity is an escalating global epidemic due to the availability of high-calorie diets
Creative Commons Attribution (HCDs) and decreased physical activity in the general population. Obesity is a
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, complex multifactorial disease that leads to the development of several comorbidities
provided the original work is (e.g., metabolic syndrome [MS], type 2 diabetes mellitus, and fatty hepatosis). In
1
properly cited. addition, obesity affects the reproductive system and, consequently, the other systems
Publisher’s Note: AccScience of the body, as reproductive hormones are involved not only in the development and
Publishing remains neutral with function of the reproductive system but also in the peripheral tissues and central nervous
regard to jurisdictional claims in 2
published maps and institutional system. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among men and women varies by
affiliations. country and region. Hypogonadism has been reported in obese men and is characterized

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/gtm.2321