Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

School of Medicine

Department

Exercise Physiology

Committee Chair

Paul Chantler

Committee Co-Chair

Randy Bryner

Committee Member

Werner Geldenhuys

Abstract

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic but is especially a concern in the United States with over 40% of the population being obese. Obesity is known to cause increased metabolic demand, systemic inflammation, peripheral vascular dysfunction, and increased levels of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the role of obesity on cerebrovascular bioenergetic function has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to determine the impact of diet-induced obesity on cerebrovascular bioenergetics. 72, 6-month-old C57Bl/6 male and female mice were randomized into control and HFD groups. Control mice were subjected to the feeding of standard chow (18% fat, 24% protein, 58% carbohydrate), while HFD mice were subjected to a high-fat diet (60% fat, 20% protein, 20% carbohydrate) feeding for 4 months (18 weeks). Following 18 weeks, mice were euthanized, and the brains were collected. The hypothalamus was removed and saved in addition to the coronal section. The remaining brain was homogenized and the cerebral microvessels (CMVs) were isolated to assess bioenergetics using the cell Mito stress test and Glyco stress test on the Seahorse Bioflux Analyzer. Glucose transporters in the brain tissue were also measured using Western Blotting. Our data showed that HFD-fed mice significantly increased (p

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