Description
Oxidative stress in adipose tissue and liver has been linked to the development of obesity. NADPH oxidases (NOX) enzymes are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The current study was designed to determine if NOX2-generated ROS play a role in development of obesity and metabolic syndrome after high fat feeding. Wild type (WT) mice and mice lacking the cytosolic NOX2 activated protein p47phox (P47KO) were fed AIN-93G diets or high fat diets (HFD) containing 45% fat and 0.5% cholesterol for 13 weeks from weaning. Affymetrix array analysis revealed dramatically less expression of mRNA of genes linked to energy metabolism, adipocyte differentiation (PPAR, Runx2) and fatty acid uptake (CD36, lipoprotein lipase) in fat pads from female HFD-P47KO mice compared to HFD-WT females. These data suggest that NOX2 is an important regulator of metabolic homeostasis and that NOX2-associated ROS plays an important role in development of diet-induced obesity particularly in the female