Saioa Gómez-Zorita

University of the Basque Country | UPV/EHU · Pharmacy and Food Science

Metabolic syndrome refers to the simultaneous occurrence of several disorders that have been associated with other co-morbidities, such as a pro-inflammatory state and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Nowadays, it is a growing public health problem that contributes to the development of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiova...

Aspectos relevantes sobre consumo e ingesta de azúcares y edulcorantes en la Unión Europea, basado en el análisis del riesgo, tanto a nivel de la determinación como la gestión y la comunicación del riesgo.

The plants of the Opuntia genus mainly grow in arid and semi-arid climates. Although the highest variety of wild species is found in Mexico, Opuntia spp. is widely distributed throughout the world. Extracts of these cacti have been described as important sources of bioactive substances that can have beneficial properties for the prevention and trea...

Marine algae are valuable sources of bioactive compounds that have the potential to be used in the management of various pathologies. Despite the increasing prevalence of NAFLD, the absence of an approved effective pharmacological treatment with demonstrable effectiveness persists. In this context, the aim of the present study is to assess the effe...

La Universidad, como institución académica de enseñanza superior e investigación, debe ser capaz de formar profesionales competentes en diferentes ámbitos de aplicación, preparados para afrontar problemas complejos que requieran un abordaje multidisciplinar. Así mismo, el conocimiento adquirido durante la fase de formación universitaria debe transm...

The genus Opuntia spp. includes plants capable of growing in arid, temperate and tropical climates. The vast majority of wild species grow in Mexico, but O. ficus-indica (prickly pear or nopal) is cultivated around the world and it is one of the most studied. This review shows the currently available knowledge concerning the action of O. ficus-indi...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common chronic liver alteration whose prevalence is increasing in Western countries. Microalgae and macroalgae have attracted great interest due to the high content in bioactive compounds with beneficial effects on health. The aim of the present study is to assess the potential intere...

Viniferin is a phenolic compound belonging to the group of stilbenoids. In particular, ε-viniferin is a dimer of resveratrol, found in many plant genders, among which grapes (Vitis vinifera) are a primary source. Due to the fact that ε-viniferin is mainly present in the woody parts of plants, their use as a source of this bioactive compound is a ve...

Although a general healthy gut microbiota cannot be defined due to numerous internal and external individual factors, such as sex, age, ethnicity, genetics, environment, diet and drugs affect its composition, certain microbial species and gut microbiota compositions seem to be related to the progression of insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes, as...

Isorhamnetin is a plant-derived secondary metabolite which belongs to the family of flavonoids. This review summarises the main outcomes described in the literature to date, regarding the effects of isorhamnetin on obesity from in vitro and in vivo studies. The studies carried out in pre-adipocytes show that isorhamnetin is able to reduce adipogene...

The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern typical of the populations living in the Mediterranean basin during the 50s-60s of the last century. This diet has demonstrated beneficial effects in the prevention of several pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, or several cancer types, at least in part, due to its antioxidant...

Consumption of high-energy-yielding diets, rich in fructose and lipids, is a factor contributing to the current increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease prevalence. Gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production alterations derived from unhealthy diets are considered putative underlying mechanisms. This study aimed t...

The present review is aimed at analysing the current evidence concerning the potential modulation of obesity and/or diet in adipose tissue ACE2. Additionally, the potential implications of these effects on COVID-19 are also addressed. The results published show that diet and obesity are two factors that effectively influence the expression of Ace2...

Sexu-dimorfismoa, espezie bereko ar eta emeen arteko desberdintasun morfologiko eta fisiologikoei erreferentzia egiten dien terminoa da. Desberdintasun horiek, sexu patroia material genetikora heredatu den moduaren arabera definituta egongo dira. Gaur egun komunitate zientifikoa ahalegin handia egiten ari da pertsonalizatutako zehaztasunezko mediku...

The present review aims to gather scientific evidence regarding the beneficial effects of microalgae and macroalgae extracts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The described data show that both microalgae and macroalgae improved this alteration. The majority of the reported studies analysed the preventive effects because algae were admin...

Resveratrol and its 2-methoxy derivative pterostilbene are two phenolic compounds that occur in foodstuffs and feature hepato-protective effects. This study is devoted to analysing and comparing the metabolic effects of pterostilbene and resveratrol on gut microbiota composition in rats displaying NAFLD induced by a diet rich in saturated fat and f...

The use of phenolic compounds as a new therapeutic approach against NAFLD has emerged recently. In the present study, we aim to study the effect of pterostilbene in the prevention of liver steatosis developed as a consequence of high-fat (saturated) high-fructose feeding, by analysing the changes induced in metabolic pathways involved in triglyceri...

Despite the general relationship between obesity and its co-morbidities, there are both obese individuals who scarcely present the associated pathologies (metabolically healthy obese; MHO) and individuals who present obesity alterations despite having normal weight (metabolically obese normal weight; MONW). It is still difficult to define metabolic...

Isoflavones are phenolic compounds with a chemical structure similar to that of estradiol. They are present in several vegetables, mainly in legumes such as soy, white and red clover, alfalfa and beans. The most significant food source of isoflavones in humans is soy-derived products. Isoflavones could be used as an alternative therapy for patholog...

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in several plants and produced in response to stress situations such as ultraviolet radiation or bacterial, viral, and fungal infection. In addition to its potential usefulness as an anticarcinogenic, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic or antiobesity agent, other biological functions have also been...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the major cause for the development of chronic liver alterations. Hepatic steatosis is the most benign and common form of NAFLD, although its potential to evolve into more detrimental liver alterations makes its treatment necessary. In this regard, much attention has been paid to polyphenols,...

Different studies have revealed that oxidative stress and inflammation are crucial in NAFLD (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). The aim of this study is to analyze whether pterostilbene and resveratrol are able to either avoid or delay the progression of non-alcoholic liver steatosis towards steatohepatitis. This has been performed by examining th...

Gantz-ehun zuria (GEZ) gorputzeko energia biltegia da eta adipozito izena duten zelulez osaturik dago. Giza gorputzean duen kokalekuaren arabera, larruazalpeko GEZ (LGEZ) eta erraietako GEZ (EGEZ) bereizten dira. Adipozitoei dagokienez, EGEZko adipozitoak LGEZkoak baino metabolikoki aktiboagoak dira, azken hauek tamaina handiagoa eta lipidoak hartz...

This review deals with the relationship among nutrition, the immune system, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The influence of nutrients and bioactive molecules present in foodstuffs on immune system activity, the influence of COVID-19 on the nutritional status of the patients, and the dietary recommendations for hospitalized patients are ad...

Macroalgae have attracted great interest for their potential applications in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries as source of bioactive medicinal products and food ingredients. This review gathers data from in vitro and in vivo studies addressing the anti-obesity effects of macroalgae. Great consensus exists in all reported in vitro studies...

Minbizia egungo osasun arazo publiko garrantzitsuenetarikoa da, izan ere, tumoreen intzidentzia izugarri handitu baita azken hamarkadetan. Beste faktore askoren artean, elikadura-patroiak nabarmen eragiten du minbiziaren garapenean, hala nola obesitateak eta haren komorbilitateek ere. Hainbat minbizi mota garatzeko arriskua areagotzen dute, besteak...

The main function of brown adipose tissue (BAT) is thermogenesis, a process mediated by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane and acts uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation from ATP production, thereby dissipating energy as heat. White adipose tissue can also express UCP1 positive cells due to a process kn...

Treatment with several antipsychotic drugs exhibits a tendency to induce weight gain and diabetic complications. The proposed mechanisms by which the atypical antipsychotic drug olanzapine increases body weight include central dysregulations leading to hyperphagia and direct peripheral impairment of fat cell lipolysis. Several investigations have r...

In recent years, microalgae have attracted great interest for their potential applications in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry as an interesting source of bioactive medicinal products and food ingredients with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial properties. One potential application for bioactive microalgae com...

Obesity and related comorbidities are a major health concern. The drugs used to treat these conditions are largely inadequate or dangerous, and a well-researched approach based on nutraceuticals would be highly useful. Pterostilbene (Pt), i.e., 3,5-dimethylresveratrol, has been reported to be effective in animal models of obesity, acting on differe...

Pterostilbene, a phenolic compound derived from resveratrol, possesses greater bioavailability than its parent compound due to the presence of two methoxyl groups. In this review, the beneficial effects of pterostilbene on diabetes, liver steatosis and dyslipidemia are summarized. Pterostilbene is a useful bioactive compound in preventing type 1 di...

Several studies have observed that gut microbiota can play a critical role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development. The gut microbiota is influenced by different environmental factors, which include diet. The aim of the present review is to summarize the information provided in the literature...

Novel mechanisms and health benefits have been recently suggested for the antidepressant drug phenelzine (PHE), known as a nonselective monoamine oxidase inhibitor. They include an antilipogenic action that could have an impact on excessive fat accumulation and obesity-related metabolic alterations. We evaluated the metabolic effects of an oral PHE...

Nephroblastoma overexpressed protein, also called NOV/CCN3, is an adipokine which is present in various tissues and recently linked to obesity. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of resveratrol and pterostilbene on NOV/CCN3 in adipose tissue from rats fed an obesogenic diet. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were split into four group...

This review focuses on the role of 5′-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the effects of resveratrol (RSV) and some RSV derivatives on hepatic steatosis. In vitro studies, performed in different hepatic cell models, have demonstrated that RSV is effective in preventing liver TG accumulation by activating AMPK, due to its phosphorylation. These preve...

Phenelzine has been suggested to have an antiobesity effect by inhibiting de novo lipogenesis, which led us to investigate the metabolic effects of oral chronic phenelzine treatment in high-sucrose-drinking mice. Sucrose-drinking mice presented higher body weight gain and adiposity versus controls. Phenelzine addition did not decrease such paramete...

Aquaglyceroporins (AQPs) are transmembrane channels that mediate glycerol release and glycerol uptake. They are involved in fat metabolism, with implications in obesity. The aim was to determine whether the administration of resveratrol and pterostilbene during the six weeks of the experimental period would modify AQPs expression in white and brown...

Science constantly seeks to identify new molecules that could be used as dietary functional ingredients in the fight against obesity and its co-morbidities. Among them, polyphenols represent a group of molecules of increasing interest. One of the most widely studied polyphenols is resveratrol (trans-3, 4′, 5-trihydroxystilbene), which has been prop...

Background Adipocytes derived from human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used to investigate adipogenesis. Taking into account both the novelty of these MSCs and the scarcity of studies focused on the effects of phenolic compounds, the aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of apigenin, hesperidin and kaempferol on pre-adipocyt...

This study was designed to analyze the anti-adipogenic effect of fifteen phenolic compounds from various chemical groups in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Cells were treated with 25M, 10M or 1M of apigenin, luteolin, catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, genistein, daizein, naringenin, hesperidin, quercetin, kaempferol, resveratrol, vanillic acid, picea...

Adipose tissue releases bioactive mediators called adipokines. This review focuses on the effects of omentin, vaspin, cardiotrophin-1, Tumor necrosis factor-like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK) and nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV/CCN3) on obesity and diabetes. Omentin is produced by the stromal-vascular fraction of visceral adipose tissue. Obes...

The anti-obesity effects of resveratrol shown in rodents are not transposed into an efficient therapy of human obesity. Consequently, the search for molecules mimicking or surpassing resveratrol actions is ongoing. The natural phenolic compound pterostilbene exhibits beneficial health effects and has the capacity to limit fat mass in animal models....

This study aimed to determine whether pterostilbene improved glycaemic control in rats showing insulin resistance induced by an obesogenic diet. Rats were divided into 3 groups: control group and two groups treated with either 15 mg/kg/d (PT15) or 30 mg/kg/d of pterostilbene (PT30). HOMA-IR was decreased in both pterostilbene-treated groups, but th...

Before, during and after physical activity, hydration is a limiting factor in athletic performance. Therefore, adequate hydration provides benefits for health and performance of athletes. Besides, hydration is associated to the intake of carbohydrates, protein, sodium, caffeine and other substances by different dietary aids, during the training and...

Before, during and after physical activity, hydration is a limiting factor in athletic performance. Therefore, adequate hydration provides benefits for health and performance of athletes. Besides, hydration is associated to the intake of carbohydrates, protein, sodium, caffeine and other substances by different dietary aids, during the training and...

The main factors limiting climbing performance are as follows: muscle glycogen depletion, increased protein catabolism, fluid and electrolyte imbalance and acute mountain sickness (AMS). In this situation of high stress at high altitudes and with stays longer than 3 weeks, the diet is essential. In the case of AMS, the use of drugs is also essentia...

Background: It is fundamental in athletes a rapid recovery, it is a really important aspect to continue training at high in tensities and also to continue progressing, especially in sports when you compete every day. Eccentric exercises produce muscular myofibril ruptures, especially at high intensities, causing muscle damage. This damage produces...

During the last years, the list of resveratrol effects has grown in parallel with the number of other members of the polyphenol family described to modulate glucose or lipid handling. In the same time, more than ten human studies on the influence of resveratrol supplementation on two related metabolic diseases, obesity and diabetes, have indicated...

The current study aimed to demonstrate the effects of pterostilbene in rats fed an obesogenic diet. For this purpose, pterostilbene was administered at doses of 15 mg/kg body weight/d (PT15 group) or 30 mg/kg body weight/d (PT30 group) for 6 weeks. Pterostilbene reduced adipose tissue mass -15.1% (PT15) and -22.9% (PT30). In this tissue, it decreas...

RESUMEN Cada vez son más los individuos que acuden a montañas de gran altitud, con el riesgo que esta práctica entraña. Por tanto, es de gran importancia conocer los peligros y déficits que esta práctica puede conllevar, con el fin de evitarlos o poder-los tratar. Es por ello que la preparación del botiquín, tanto con fines preventivos como paliati...

Resveratrol inhibits lipid accumulation but suffers from limited bioavailability. The anti-depressive agent phenelzine limits adipogenesis in various models of cultured preadipocytes, and this hydrazine derivative also inhibits de novo lipogenesis in mature adipocytes. It was therefore tested whether resveratrol effects on adiposity reduction and g...

The needs of water and electrolytes are quite variants, depending on age, physiological or environmental conditions. In most long-term sports, usual weight loss of 3-6%, affect in athletic performance. The effects of a 6% dehydration could be improved with individualized diet-specific nutritional strategies and allow only a 2-3% dehydration, which...

The aim of this study was to examine whether resveratrol might represent a promising therapeutic tool with which to combat adipose tissue chronic inflammation in a model of genetic obesity and to link its anti-inflammatory activity with its effect on body fat reduction. Twenty 6-wk-old male Zucker (fa/fa) rats were randomly distributed into two exp...

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in many dietary sources and red wine. Recognized as a cancer chemoprevention agent, an anti-inflammatory factor and an antioxidant molecule, resveratrol has been proposed as a potential anti-obesity compound and to be beneficial in diabetes. Most of the studies demonstrating the anti-adipogenic...

Las adaptaciones fi siológicas debidas al entrenamiento deportivo son diversas, infl uyendo en la regulación metabólica de los sistemas orgánicos implicados. Con el fi n de incrementar el rendimiento deportivo o la capacidad de recuperación del organismo, se emplean numerosos suplementos o fármacos, en ocasiones junto a dietas no ortodoxas (dietas...

Acetylsalicylic acid is a nonsteroidal anti-infl ammatory drug, usually with a rapid and complete absorption. It is commonly used by athletes without understanding its pharmacology, which may impact on their performance and health. The doses usually employed, often depends on the use made of the drug, as antiplatelet, analgesic or antipyretic use....

Trata sobre la biodisponibilidad de hierro en la dieta según las interacciones negativas (calcio, fitatos, tanatos...) y factores favorecedores de la absorción (viamina c, vitamina a...). Por otra parte se discute sobre la toma del hierro hemo o no hemos en las dietas para los deportistas.

Cada vez son más turistas los que acuden a montañas elevadas (6000-8000 metros). Las estancias a grandes altitudes inducen grandes cambios a nivel fisiológico, lo que conlleva riesgos que en numerosas ocasiones son difíciles de controlar. El Mal Agudo de Montaña (MAM) suele ser un problema frecuente a partir de los 3000-4000 metros de altitud en la...

Las prendas de compresión las podríamos integrar dentro de las ayudas ergogénicas de tipo mecánico. Aunque en los últimos años es cada vez más habitual ver en los corredores de fondo medias de compresión con la finalidad disminuir el traumatismo inducido con los repetidos impactos contra el paviento, parece ser que la utilidad de estas medias está...

The physiological adaptations due to sports training are diverse, influencing the metabolic regulation of organ systems involved. In order to enhance athletic performance or resilience of the body, numerous supplements or drugs are used, sometimes with unorthodox diets (vegetarian diets, high-protein diets, low in calories and proteins...) and that...

Serotonin (5-HT) is a brain neurotransmitter instrumental for the antidepressant action of selective inhibitors of serotonin reuptake (SSRIs) while it also plays important roles in peripheral organs. Recently, the 5-HT oxidation products, 5-hydroxyindoleacetate and 5-methoxy-indoleacetate, have been shown to bind to peroxisome proliferator-activate...

Type 2 diabetes (DM2) is a very common disease worldwide and represents an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Its prevalence has increased overall in recent decades, and if action is not taken, the problem will grow with consequences for the patient, health systems and socioeconomic factors. Changes in lifestyle can prevent the development...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common manifestations of chronic liver disease worldwide. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of resveratrol on liver fat accumulation, as well as on the activity of those enzymes involved in lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in fa/fa Zucker rats. A total of thirty ra...

Scientific research is constantly looking for new molecules to be used as functional ingredients to combat obesity. The aim of the present study was to analyse whether resveratrol and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) together could reduce body fat more efficiently than their separate administration. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided i...

Revisión bibliográfica sobre la leptina y su papel fisiológico en el organismo

Recently resveratrol, a compound naturally occurring in various plants, has been proposed as a potential anti-obesity compound. The aim of the present work was to analyse the effects of different doses of resveratrol on body fat and serum parameters in rats. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups and fed on a hyp...

Cholesterol in humans has two proveniences: endogenous, from de novo synthesis, and exogenous from the diet. Cholesterol is absorbed in the intestine due to the biliary acids and the phospholipids coming from the liver. The amount of cholesterol absorbed is very variable and it is controlled by the ABC transporter family, the biliary acids and othe...