Indagine immunoistochimica e biomolecolare su Leptina, bdnf e rispettivi recettori nell’ovaio di cagne normopeso e obese

The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of leptin (Ob), leptin receptor (ObR), Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) in the ovary of normal and overweight/obese bitches through immunohistochemistry and qRTPCR. Ob and BDNF play a key role in the regulation of energy balance and their action is mediated by their receptor, respectively ObR and TrkB, widely expressed in several tissues in different species. Furthermore, there are growing evidences that these substances could have an implication in the modulation of reproductive functions suggesting a correlation between state of nutrition and ovarian activity. In this investigation, we used ovaries sampled through routine ovaryhysterectomy from twenty healthy (n = 20) mixed breed bitches. The bitches were divided into control group (CTRL) (n = 10) with BCS 4-6 and into obese group (OB) (n = 10) with BCS ≥ 7 values. All bitches in the study were in anoestrus. Our results showed the expression and anatomic localization of Ob, BDNF and respective receptors in the ovary of bitches. Ob and BDNF were located in early follicles exclusively in control group while ObR was expressed in obese group follicles. TrKb showed the same expression in both groups. In conclusion, our data suggest the presence, even in canine, of a strict correlation between regulation of food intake/energy balance and ovarian activity.