Jaboticaba peel extract decrease autophagy in white adipose tissue and prevents metabolic disorders in mice fed with a high-fat diet

The increase in autophagy markers in the white adipose tissue is associated with adipocyte hypertrophy and obesity physiopathology. The jaboticaba peel is rich in bioactive compounds as polyphenols, which have been demonstrating anti-oxidant and inflammatory effects, and possibly interferes in adipose tissue metabolism and obesity. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of jaboticaba peel extract (FJE) treatment in autophagy markers of epididymal and inguinal white adipose tissue (eWAT and iWAT) of mice fed a normocaloric or high-fat diet for 6 weeks. The FJE treatment modulates autophagy markers in the eWAT of animals fed a high-fat diet by the reduction of Beclin-1 and LC3BII, and an increase in SQSTM-p62, accompanied by a decrease in tissue and total body weight, indicating the importance of autophagy in obesity development. These alterations were not followed by lower cytokines concentration, suggesting that autophagy may be fundamental to adipocyte remodeling at the beginning of adipocyte hypertrophy, before the onset of low-grade inflammation. Furthermore, the treatment reduced total serum triglycerides and liver fat accumulation. Thus, the results suggest that FJE could be considered a strategy against metabolic disorders caused by an HF diet.