Influência dos capsinóides e do exercício físico aeróbio contínuo sobre morfologia cardíaca de ratos com obesidade

Abstract

Obesity is an important public health problem and is associated with metabolic, infl ammatory and structural changes that compromise the cardiovascular system. In this context, capsinoids, non-pungent compounds analogous to capsaicin, and continuous aerobic exercise emerge as promising strategies to mitigate the deleterious effects of obesity on the cardiac remodeling process. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic administration of capsinoids and continuous aerobic exercise on the cardiac morphology of rats with diet-induced obesity. Male Wistar rats were fed a standard or high-fat diet for 27 consecutive weeks. The experimental protocol was divided into two moments: M1) induction and maintenance of obesity (19 weeks) and M2) chronic exposure to capsinoids and the continuous aerobic exercise training protocol (8 weeks). Subsequently, the obese (Ob) animals were distributed into four experimental groups: Ob; Obese supplemented with capsinoids (ObCap); Obese subjected to continuous aerobic exercise training (ObTr); an obese subject supplemented with capsaicinoids and subjected to continuous aerobic physical training (ObCapTr). Food parameters, metabolic and hormonal profiles, physical performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as indicators of cardiac remodeling and damage, were evaluated. The results showed that the high-fat diet induced obesity, increased adiposity, and changes in the glycemic profile, such as glucose intolerance. Treatment with capsnoids and physical exercise was not able to reduce adiposity or promote improvements in glycemic and lipid profiles. However, an improvement in cardiorespiratory performance and a reduction in cardiac damage were observed. In conclusion, chronic administration of capsnoids combined with continuous aerobic physical exercise did not exert beneficial effects on adiposity and cardiac morphology, but significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness and reduced cardiac damage in obesity induced by high-fat diet.