Low-Dose Coconut Oil Supplementation Induces Hypothalamic Inflammation, Behavioral Dysfunction, and Metabolic Damage in Healthy Mice.

SCOPE: Coconut oil (CO) diets remain controversial due to the possible association with metabolic disorder and obesity. This study investigates the metabolic effects of a low amount of CO supplementation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Swiss male mice are assigned to be supplemented orally during 8 weeks with 300 µL of water for the control group (CV), 100 or 300 µL of CO (CO100 and CO300) and 100 or 300 µL of soybean oil (SO; SO100 and SO300). CO led to anxious behavior, increase in body weight gain, and adiposity. In the hypothalamus, CO and SO increase cytokines expression and pJNK, pNFKB, and TLR4 levels. Nevertheless, the adipose tissue presented increases macrophage infiltration, TNF-α and IL-6 after CO and SO consumption. IL-1B and CCL2 expression, pJNK and pNFKB levels increase only in CO300. In the hepatic tissue, CO increases TNF-α and chemokines expression. Neuronal cell line (mHypoA-2/29) exposed to serum from CO and SO mice shows increased NFKB migration to the nucleus, TNF-α, and NFKBia expression, but are prevented by inhibitor of TLR4 (TAK-242). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that a low-dose CO changes the behavioral pattern, induces inflammatory pathway activation, TLR4 expression in healthy mice, and stimulates the pro-inflammatory response through a TLR4-mediated mechanism.

Effects of strontium ranelate on ligature-induced periodontitis in estrogen-deficient and estrogen-sufficient rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Strontium ranelate is a medication indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis that presents concomitant anti-resorptive and osteoanabolic dual biological activity. However, the effects of strontium ranelate on alveolar bone have been poorly explored. Furthermore, to date, there are no data on the effects of this medication on alveolar bone loss (BL) during conditions of estrogen deficiency. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of strontium ranelate on ligature-induced periodontitis in estrogen-deficient and estrogen-sufficient rats. METHODS: Ninety-six rats were assigned to one of the following groups: sham-surgery + water (estrogen-sufficient; n = 24); ovariectomy + water (estrogen-deficient; n = 24), sham-surgery + strontium ranelate (ranelate/estrogen-sufficient; n = 24) and; ovariectomy + strontium ranelate (ranelate/estrogen-deficient; n = 24). The rats received strontium ranelate or water from the 14th day after ovariectomy until the end of the experiment. On the 21st day after ovariectomy, one first mandibular molar received a ligature, while the contralateral tooth was left unligated. Eight rats per group were killed at 10, 20, and 30 days after ligature placement. Bone loss (BL) and trabecular bone area (TBA) were analyzed in the furcation area of ligated and unligated teeth at all experimental times by histometry. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) positive cells and immunohistochemical staining for osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and receptor activator of NF-КB ligand (RANKL) were assessed in the ligated teeth at 30 days after ligature placement. RESULTS: At 10 and 30 days, ligated teeth of the estrogen-deficient group exhibited higher BL, when compared to all other groups (P < .05). At 10 days, TBAs were higher in the unligated teeth of strontium ranelate-treated groups, when compared to those of untreated groups (P < .05). At 30 days, the ligated teeth of the estrogen-deficient group exhibited lower TBA than the other groups (P < .05). There were no differences among groups regarding the number of TRAP-stained cells (P < .05). The strontium ranelate-treated groups exhibited lower expressions of OCN and RANKL than the untreated groups (P < .05). The estrogen-sufficient group presented higher staining for OPG than both treated and untreated estrogen-deficient groups (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Strontium ranelate prevented ligature-induced BL in an estrogen-deficiency condition and, to a certain extent, increased TBA in the presence and absence of periodontal collapse in states of estrogen deficiency and estrogen sufficiency. Furthermore, strontium ranelate also affected the expression of bone markers, appearing to have acted predominantly as an anti-resorptive agent.