Avaliação do perfil de expressão de genes envolvidos no metabolismo hepático: do nascimento à vida adulta

Abstract

The liver is an important organ performing many body vital functions like elimination of toxic substances, production of bile, urea, plasma proteins and an immune function. Besides, among its main functions is the energy metabolism control. This function is performed by hepatocytes, the major hepatic parenchyma cells, in which occurs glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogen synthesis, synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids. The hepatocyte formation begins on embrionary period and continues in postnatal period, transforming the liver from a hematopoietic organ to a metabolic one. During development an individual faces 3 nutritional challenges and the liver, being an important metabolic organ, must adapt to these changes. We know very well about this organ function on fetus and adult. However this neonatal period of large nutritional transitions is little studied. Therefore, the aim of this work was to analyze the metabolic status of liver through neonatal development and possible diet interferences on this process. Besides the reduced hepatic function, we observed a reduced metabolic enzyme expression on the beginning of neonatal development, indicating that there is still a transition to acquire the metabolic capacity of the organ. The expression profile becomes similar to adult on third week, period of weaning. We observed, yet, that early weaning alters the development program with elevation on gene expression that persists until adult age. The animal passes through many metabolic changes on development until the acquisition of the adult metabolic profile.