Obesity is a heterogeneous disorder which increases risks for multiple metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. The current study aims to characterize and compare visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues in terms of macromolecular content and investigate transdifferentiation between white and brown adipocytes. Regarding this aim, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) immunohistological staining were used to investigate gonadal (visceral) and inguinal (subcutaneous) adipose tissues of male Berlin fat mice inbred (BFMI) lines, which are spontaneously obese. The results indicated a remarkable increase in the lipid/protein ratio, accompanied with a decrease of UCP1 protein content which might be due to the transdifferentiation of brown adipocytes to white adipocytes in obese groups. It has been widely reported that brown adipose tissue has a strong effect on fatty acid and glucose homeostasis and it could provide an opportunity for the therapy of obesity. When the amount of brown adipose tissue was decreased, lower unsaturation/saturation ratio, qualitatively longer hydrocarbon acyl chain length of lipids and higher amount of triglycerides were obtained in both adipose tissues of mice lines. The results also revealed that subcutaneous adipose tissue was more prone to obesity-induced structural changes than visceral adipose tissue, which could originate from it possessing a lower amount of brown adipose tissue. The current study clearly revealed the power of FTIR microspectroscopy in the precise determination of obesity-induced structural and functional changes in inguinal and gonadal adipose tissue of mice lines.

Using an AIL, the confidence interval for jObes1 could be 27-fold reduced by finding chromosomal recombinations. Although Bbs7 is the most likely obesity gene in the jObes1 region, neighboring genes cannot be entirely excluded. Further examinations are needed to enlighten the mechanism leading to physiological consequences on body mass and fat mass in juvenile animals.

A depot preparation of the third-generation gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist Cetrorelix (SB-75) was used for preoperative treatment in twenty premenopausal patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids who were to undergo surgery. In a prospective, open, randomized setting 60 mg of Cetrorelix pamoate salt was administered i.m. on cycle day 2. Patients were randomized for a second dose of 30 or 60 mg of Cetrorelix depot, which was administered according to the degree of oestradiol suppression (<50 pg/ml) on treatment day 21 or 28. Surgery was done after 6 or 8 weeks of treatment, depending on second dosage administration. Weekly transvaginal sonography (TVS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after treatment was performed, for fibroid volume assessment. Sixteen patients showed satisfactory suppression of gonadotrophins and sex steroid secretion, avoiding any initial flare-up effect. In these patients a mean shrinkage rate of largest fibroid volume of 33.5% at the end of treatment could be observed according to TVS, while the mean shrinkage rate obtained after 14 days of treatment was 31.3%. In good responders (shrinkage >20%) largest fibroid volume at day 14 was approximately 56.7% of basic assessment. Although MRI showed minor mean shrinkage rates of only 25.4% of the initial volume, these differences in comparison to TVS assessment were not statistically significant. The avoidance of any initial flare-up in gonadotrophin secretion may explain this extremely fast reduction in fibroid size. The advantages of GnRH antagonist treatment in this indication consist in the short treatment time with a fast restoration of the ovarian function. The rate of poor responders may be reduced by using an improved slow release preparation.

The current study aims to determine lipid profiles in terms of the content and structure of skeletal muscle and adipose tissues to better understand the characteristics of juvenile-onset spontaneous obesity without high fat diet induction. For the purposes of this study, muscle (longissimus, quadriceps) and adipose (inguinal, gonadal) tissues of 10-week-old male DBA/2J and Berlin fat mouse inbred (BFMI) lines (BFMI856, BFMI860, BFMI861) fed with a standard breeding diet were used. Biomolecular structure and composition was determined using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy, and muscle triglyceride content was further quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). The results revealed a loss of unsaturation in BFMI860 and BFMI861 lines in both muscles and inguinal adipose tissue, together with a decrease in the hydrocarbon chain length of lipids, especially in the BFMI860 line in muscles, suggesting an increased lipid peroxidation. There was an increase in saturated lipid and triglyceride content in all tissues of BFMI lines, more profoundly in longissimus muscle, where the increased triglyceride content was quantitatively confirmed by HPLC-ELSD. Moreover, an increase in the metabolic turnover of carbohydrates in muscles of the BFMI860 line was observed. The results demonstrated that subcutaneous (inguinal) fat also displayed considerable obesity-induced alterations. Taken together, the results revealed differences in lipid structure and content of BFMI lines, which may originate from different insulin sensitivity levels of the lines, making them promising animal models for spontaneous obesity. The results will contribute to the understanding of the generation of insulin resistance in obesity without high fat diet induction.

The excess deposition of triglycerides in adipose tissue is the main reason of obesity and causes excess release of fatty acids to the circulatory system resulting in obesity and insulin resistance. Body mass index and waist circumference are not precise measure of obesity and obesity related metabolic diseases. Therefore, in the current study, it was aimed to propose triglyceride bands located at 1770-1720 cm spectral region as a more sensitive obesity related biomarker using the diagnostic potential of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in subcutaneous (SCAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissues. The adipose tissue samples were obtained from 10 weeks old male control (DBA/2J) (n = 6) and four different obese BFMI mice lines (n = 6 per group). FTIR spectroscopy coupled with hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the spectra of triglyceride bands as a diagnostic tool in the discrimination of the samples. Successful discrimination of the obese, obesity related insulin resistant and control groups were achieved with high sensitivity and specificity. The results revealed the power of FTIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometric approaches in internal diagnosis of abdominal obesity based on the spectral differences in the triglyceride region that can be used as a spectral marker.