1. Investigación

Increased caloric intake associated with decreased physical activity and the presence of thrifty genes that are theoretically adapted to enhance the energy storage efficiency, cause metabolic changes that result in diet-related diseases or disorders. Such phenotypes are prevalent in populations of developed countries and their incidence is continuing to rise. Therefore, early diagnosis of diet-related diseases is an exciting field of research. The application of ‘omics’ technology, particularly metabolomics, has revealed the metabolic changes associated to diet-related diseases and also consequences of diet intervention in a global un-targeted way. The on-going development of dietary ideal models could elucidate the sequence of events, starting with the interaction between dietary habits and genetic adaptations that cause the metabolic changes induced as well as auxiliary symptoms and associated diseases. In this review, a range of mass spectrometry techniques applied to metabolomics of diet related diseases is discussed, including the combination of metabolomics with other studies to reveal systems properties of the diseases. Since it is difficult to set up a clinical study based on the probability of finding exploratory biomarkers to be applied in wide-population screening, many metabolomics studies have revealed biomarkers of 31 the complications of the disease, which could have power as prognostic biomarkers.

Background/Aims: Previously we have shown that administration of 150 mg of vitamin E (·-tocopherol) per day to rats having diabetes decreases the rate of embryo malformations and increases their maturation and size. The present study was addressed to determine the effects of different doses of vitamin E upon these parameters. Methods: Female rats were made diabetic (D) with streptozotocin, and from day 0 of gestation they were treated daily with 25 (D+25), 50 (D+50), 100 (D+100), 150 (D+150), and 500 (D+500) mg of vitamin E administered orally and were compared with control (C) animals. Results: On day 11.5 of gestation, crown-rump length, somite number, and protein and DNA levels were lower in D than in C embryos. Crown-rump length and somite number increased with 100 mg or higher doses of vitamin E, although the values observed in C embryos were not reached. The proportions of reabsorption and malformations were 24.7 and 50%, respectively, in D rats, and in the rats supplemented with vitamin E they decreased to 22.7 and 19% in D+25, 16.4 and 21.3% in D+50, 16.2 and 12% in D+100, 12.9 and 13.9% in D+150, and to 43.9 and 10.8% in D+500 rats, whereas the values were 6.8 and 4.9% in C animals. Conclusions: Administration of vitamin E to D rats decreases the rate of embryo malformations, dependent on the dose administered. However, high doses have a negative effect in the conceptus, as shown by the increased rate of reabsorptions in the D+500 group.