Natália Ferreira Mendes

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Verified

Natália verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• PhD
• Early career group leader at State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)

Background: The consumption of large amounts of dietary fats induces hypothalamic inflammation and impairs the function of the melanocortin system, leading to a defective regulation of caloric intake and whole-body energy expenditure. In mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), TGF-β1 expression was increased and NF-κB signaling was activated in proopiomel...

Emerging data demonstrate that microglia activation plays a pivotal role in the development of hypothalamic inflammation in obesity. Early after the introduction of a high-fat diet, hypothalamic microglia undergo morphological, and functional changes in response to excessive dietary saturated fats. Initially the resident microglia are affected; how...

Under high-fat feeding, the hypothalamus atypically undergoes pro-inflammatory signaling activation. Recent data from transcriptomic analysis of microglia from rodents and humans has allowed the identification of several microglial subpopulations throughout the brain. Numerous studies have clarified the roles of these cells in hypothalamic inflamma...

Brain macrophages and microglia are centrally involved in immune surveillance of the central nervous system. Upon inflammatory stimuli, they become reactive and release key molecules to prevent further damage to the neuronal network. In the hypothalamic area, perivascular macrophages (PVMs) are the first line of host defence against pathogenic orga...

Microgliosis plays a critical role in diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation. A few hours after a high-fat diet (HFD), hypothalamic microglia shift to an inflammatory phenotype, and prolonged fat consumption leads to the recruitment of bone marrow-derived cells to the hypothalamus. However, the transcriptional signatures and functions of these cell...

A.M. Zanesco: None. D. Cabral: None. J. Ferreira: None. F. Valdivieso-Rivera: None. A.L. Carvalho: None. N. Mendes: None. C. Sponton: None. R. Frazao: None. L.A. Velloso: None. The hypothalamus is a key region in the central nervous system that controls different functions such as energy balance, thermogenesis, and reproduction. Kiss1 neurons integ...

Microgliosis plays a critical role in diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation. A few hours after a high-fat diet (HFD), hypothalamic microglia shift to an inflammatory phenotype, and prolonged fat consumption leads to the recruitment of bone marrow-derived cells to the hypothalamus. However, the transcriptional signatures and functions of these cell...

Microgliosis is an important component of diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation in obesity. A few hours after the introduction of a high-fat diet, the mediobasal hypothalamus resident microglia undergo morphological and functional changes toward an inflammatory phenotype. If the consumption of large amounts of dietary fats persists for long period...

Disclosure: A.M. Zanesco: None. D. Cabral: None. J. Ferreira: None. F. Valdivieso-Rivera: None. A.L. Carvalho: None. N. Mendes: None. C. Sponton: None. R. Frazao: None. L.A. Velloso: None. The hypothalamus is a key region in the central nervous system that controls different functions such as energy balance, thermogenesis, and reproduction. Kiss1 n...

Microgliosis is an important component of diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation in obesity. A few hours after the introduction of a high-fat diet, the mediobasal hypothalamus resident microglia undergo morphological and functional changes toward an inflammatory phenotype. If the consumption of large amounts of dietary fats persists for long period...

Microgliosis plays a critical role in diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation. A few hours after a high-fat diet (HFD), hypothalamic microglia shift to an inflammatory phenotype, and prolonged fat consumption leads to the recruitment of bone marrow-derived cells to the hypothalamus. However, the transcriptional signatures and functions of these cell...

Microgliosis is an important component of diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation in obesity. A few hours after the introduction of a high-fat diet, the mediobasal hypothalamus resident microglia undergo morphological and functional changes toward an inflammatory phenotype. If the consumption of large amounts of dietary fats persists for long period...

Consumption of high-fat diets (HFD) is associated with brain alterations, including changes in feeding behavior, cognitive decline, and dementia. Astrocytes play a role in HFD-induced neuroinflammation and brain dysfunction; however, this process is not entirely understood. We hypothesized that exposure to saturated fatty acids can compromise astro...

Microgliosis is an important component of diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation in obesity. A few hours after the introduction of a high-fat diet, the mediobasal hypothalamus resident 38 microglia undergo morphological and functional changes toward an inflammatory phenotype. If the consumption of large amounts of dietary fats persists for long per...

Adipocyte-derived leptin enters the brain to exert its anorexigenic action, yet its transport mechanism is poorly understood. Here we report that LRP1 (low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1) mediates the transport of leptin across the blood-CSF barrier in Foxj1 expressing cells highly enriched at the choroid plexus (ChP), coupled with...

Background: The hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) neurons act as first-order sensors of systemic energy stores, providing signals that regulate caloric intake and energy expenditure. In experimental obesity, dietary saturated fatty acids affect Pomc endopeptidases (PCs), resulting in the abnormal production of the neurotransmitters α-melanocy...

Background Severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) presents with progressive dyspnea, which results from acute lung inflammatory edema leading to hypoxia. As with other infectious diseases that affect the respiratory tract, asthma has been cited as a potential risk factor for severe COVID-19. However, conflicting results have been published over t...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) promotes cell growth, proliferation, and survival in numerous tissues. Piperonylic acid, a metabolite present in peppers (Piper nigrum L. and Piper longum L.), can bind to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and induce an intracellular signaling cascade leading to the transcription of genes responsible for thes...

Nescient helix-loop-helix 2 (NHLH2) is a hypothalamic transcription factor that controls the expression of prohormone convertase 1/ 3, therefore having an impact on the processing of proopiomelanocortin and thus on energy homeostasis. Studies have shown that KO of Nhlh2 results in increased body mass, reduced physical activity, and hypogonadism. In...

Interleukin-6 (IL6) produced in the context of exercise acts in the hypothalamus reducing obesity-associated inflammation and restoring the control of food intake and energy expenditure. In the hippocampus, some of the beneficial actions of IL6 are attributed to its neurogenesis-inducing properties. However, in the hypothalamus, the putative neurog...

Glutamic acid is the main excitatory neurotransmitter acting both in the brain and in peripheral tissues. Abnormal distribution of glutamic acid receptors occurs in skin hyperproliferative conditions such as psoriasis and skin regeneration; however, the biological function of glutamic acid in the skin remains unclear. Using ex vivo, in vivo and in...

Obesity is an increasing new pandemic. Currently more than 1.9 billion adults are overweight and at least 700 million of them are obese. Obesity is the result of a positive energy balance, which is conditioned by both environmental and genetic factors. Interestingly, individuals from similar ethnic-based ancestry communities, share both environment...

Glutamic Acid is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in neurons. Abnormal distributions of the glutamic acid receptors have been shown in hyper proliferative models such as psoriasis and skin regeneration. However, the biological function of glutamic acid in the skin remains unclear. Using ex vivo, in vivo and in silico approaches, we showed for t...

Background Severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) presents with progressive dyspnea, which results from acute lung inflammatory edema leading to hypoxia. As with other infectious diseases that affect the respiratory tract, asthma has been cited as a potential risk factor for severe COVID-19. However, conflicting results have been published over t...

Background. Severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) presents with progressive dyspnea, which results from acute lung inflammatory edema leading to hypoxia. As with other infectious diseases that affect the respiratory tract, asthma has been cited as a potential risk factor for severe COVID-19. However, conflicting results have been published over...

Background. Severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) presents with progressive dyspnea, which results from acute lung inflammatory edema leading to hypoxia. As with other infectious diseases that affect the respiratory tract, asthma has been cited as a potential risk factor for severe COVID-19. However, conflicting results have been published over...

Hypothalamic adult neurogenesis provides the basis for renewal of neurons involved in the regulation of whole-body energy status. In addition to hormones, cytokines and growth factors, components of the diet, particularly fatty acids, have been shown to stimulate hypothalamic neurogenesis; however, the mechanisms behind this action are unknown. Her...

Significance: Optimal skin wound healing is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis, particularly in response to an injury. The skin immune system is under regulation of mediators such as bioactive lipids and cytokines that can initiate an immune response with controlled inflammation, followed by efficient resolution. However, nutritional defic...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a unique cytokine that can play both pro- and anti-inflammatory roles depending on the anatomical site and conditions under which it has been induced. Specific neurons of the hypothalamus provide important signals to control food intake and energy expenditure. In individuals with obesity, a microglia-dependent inflammatory r...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00382.].

Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that reduces food intake and stimulates energy expenditure. In order to achieve its physiological actions, it needs to enter the brain. The precise routes of brain entry of many metabolic signals have not been identified, but most studies suggest that transport across the BBB and CSF barrier are required. This...

The maintenance of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity is essential for providing a suitable environment for nervous tissue function. BBB disruption is involved in many central nervous system diseases, including epilepsy. Evidence demonstrates that BBB breakdown may induce epileptic seizures, and conversely, seizure-induced BBB disruption may cause...

Evans blue (EB) dye is captured by different cell types after BBB breakdown. Immunostaining for detection of neurons (NeuN), astrocytes (GFAP), oligodendrocytes (OLIG-2), and microglia (IBA-1) in various brain areas, 24 h after SE. Positive cells are shown in green. After BBB breakdown, the complex albumin-EB dye enters the brain and is captured by...

Brain areas affected by BBB breakdown to EB dye in the acute phase of the pilocarpine-induced epilepsy model. Representative photomicrographs obtained under a fluorescence microscope show the main brain areas affected by BBB breakdown: hippocampus, neocortex, hypothalamus, thalamus, and amygdala. Cells containing the Evans blue (EB) fluorescent dye...

Promover, reparar e cuidar da saúde da população é, sobretudo, uma das maiores aspirações dos profissionais de saúde. Todavia, contra-intuitivamente, o estilo de vida de grande parte desses não condiz com as recomendações e orientações que fazem aos seus pacientes. Uma das consequências disso é o aumento da incidência de sobrepeso e obesidade que v...

O ingresso na Universidade implica em modificações importantes no comportamento alimentar dos estudantes, contribuindo com o ganho de peso e com desenvolvimento de complicações metabólicas associadas à maior adiposidade. Visando minimizar essas mudanças comportamentais, várias estratégias de educação nutricional já foram utilizadas com diferentes p...

Hypothalamic hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) can regulate whole-body energy homeostasis in response to changes in blood glucose, suggesting that it acts as a sensor for systemic energy stores. Here, we hypothesized that hypothalamic HIF-1 could be affected by diet-induced obesity (DIO). We used male C57Bl6 mice with 8 weeks old, fed with normal...

Lactulose is a nonabsorbable disaccharide commonly used in clinical practice to treat hepatic encephalopathy. However, its effects on neuropsychiatric disorders and motor behavior have not been fully elucidated. Male Wistar rats were bile-duct ligated, and 3 weeks after surgery, treated with lactulose administrated by gavage (1.43 or 3.57 g/kg), on...

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has been extensively implicated in the regulation of body weight, food intake, and energy expenditure. The role of PTP1B appears to be cell and brain region dependent. Herein, we demonstrated that chronic high-fat feeding enhanced PTP1B expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) of rats compared...

Insulin activates PI3K/AKT in the hypothalamus to regu- late food intake (FI) and hepatic glucose production. Extra-hypothalamic regions are also sensitive to insulin to regulate FI and glucose homeostasis. Striatum (STR) is one of the key regions in the reward system, which express abundant insulin receptor (IR). However, whether insulin (INS) in...

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) encompasses a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including anxiety and psychomotor dysfunction. Although HE is a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis, the neurobiological substrates responsible for its clinical manifestations are largely unclear. In the present study, male Wistar rats were bile duct-ligated (BDL),...