Caracterização morfológica do acúmulo de gordura hepática no período pós natal

Abstract

The liver is fundamental for the homeostasis of the organism. Its importance has its origin in the gestational period when the organ assumes the control of a crucial process: the hematopoiesis of the fetus. The neonatal development is plastic and the liver is constantly under cellular proliferation, making it sensitive to the environmental challenges, for example bacterial products of the intestinal microbiota and metabolites from the diet, which in this phase is, exclusively, breast milk. Composed of a diverse cellular repertoire, the hepatic environment supports vital functions throughout the individual’s life. In the first periods postpartum milk is the only source of energy and nutrients, acting as the key substrate for healthy growth. Sheltering the whole primordial dietetic engineering - so that the perfect development of the mammals takes place, breast milk has antibodies, carbohydrates, and mainly water and fat. In this project, we observed that mice liver has higher quantities is full of lipid droplets in the postnatal period. The fat stock declines till the animal reaches adulthood, having the most substantial decrease in the weaning period. Considering that fat has been part of human diet during its evolution, being vital for their survival, it is necessary to elucidate the hepatic fat dynamics during the postnatal period, as well as the role of breast-feeding in the process of fat deposition in the liver. Therefore, it is important to understand why the liver, widely described as a metabolic organ, may be a foundation for the evolution of a healthy individual.