Effect of melatonine on expersion of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in lung tissue of high-fat diet-induced obese rats

Abstract

Systemic inflammation is a major cause of lung tissue damage in obesity. Due to the critical role of cell adhesion molecules in the inflammatory process, in this study, the effect of melatonin on expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in lung tissue of high-fat diet-induced obese male rats were assessed. Methods 24 adult male rats (weighing 150–170g) were randomly divided into 3 groups (each in 8) as follows: Control; high-fat-diet (HFD), and high-fat-diet + melatonin (HFD + M). The animals in HFD groups were given HFD for 12 weeks. In HFD+M group, melatonin was administrated intaperitoneally at 3 mg/kbw twice weeks in the last four weeks. Finally, animals were euthanized and pathological changes, protein level of NF- κB and expression of VCAM-1; ICAM-1 and TNF-α genes in lung tissue were analyzed. Results Data showed increased total WBC, percentage of neutrophils, pathological changes in lung tissues of HFD groups coincided with up-regulation of VCAM-1; ICAM-1; NF-κB; TNF-α compared to the control group. Melatonin decreased the levels of these parameters.