Supplementary Material for: Changes in Gene Expression in PBMCs Profiles of PPARα Target Genes in Obese and Non-Obese Individuals During Fasting

Background: The prevalence of obesity has risen
dramatically and the World Health Organization estimates that 700
million people will be obese worldwide by 2015. Approximately, 50% of
the Brazilian population above 20 years of age is overweight, and 16% is
obese. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the differences
in the expression of PPARα target genes in human peripheral blood
mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and free fatty acids (FFA) in obese and
non-obese individuals after 24 h of fasting. We first presented evidence
that Brazilian people exhibit expression changes in PPARα target genes
in PBMCs under fasting conditions. Methods: Q-PCR was utilized to assess the mRNA expression levels of target genes. Results:
In both groups, the FFA concentrations increased significantly after 24
h of fasting. The basal FFA mean concentration was two-fold higher in
the obese group compared with the non-obese group. After fasting, all
genes evaluated in this study showed increased expression levels
compared with basal expression in both groups. Conclusion:
However, our results reveal no differences in gene expression between
the obese and non-obese, more studies are necessary to precisely
delineate the associated mechanisms, particularly those that include
groups with different degrees of obesity and patients with diabetes
mellitus type 2 because the expression of the main genes that are
involved in β-oxidation and glucose level maintenance are affected by
these factors.