Table 2.
Sexual dimorphism in thermogenesis induced by diet in preclinical studies.
| Author | Animal Model | Experimental Model (Diet) | Effects | Mechanism of Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overfeeding | ||||
| Roca et al. (1999) [24] | Male and female Wistar rats | Ad libitum feeding with control diet or cafeteria diet for 100 days | Cafeteria diet: Higher BAT thermogenic capacity in males than in females |
Cafeteria diet: ↑ Ucp1 and Ucp2 gene expression |
| Rodríguez et al. (2001) [40] Rodriguez et al. (2004) [41] |
Male and female Wistar rats | Ad libitum feeding with control diet or cafeteria diet for 15 days | Control diet: Higher BAT thermogenic capacity in females than in males Cafeteria diet: Higher BAT thermogenesis in males than in females |
Control diet: ↑ UCP1 protein expression Cafeteria diet: ↓ β3 AR protein expression. ↓ α2A-AR protein expression ↑ Gene expression of Pparɣ2 |
| Choi et al. (2011) [42] | Male and female Sprague–Dawley rats | Ad libitum feeding with control diet or high-fat diet for 8 weeks. | High-fat diet: ↑ Body weight only in males Females vs. males: ↑ Fatty acid β-oxidation ↑ Energy expenditure |
↑ UCP1 protein expression ↑ Oestrogens |
| McCannell et al. (2021) [43] | Male and female C57BL6/N mice |
Ad libitum feeding with control diet or high.fat diet for 10 weeks | High fat diet: ↑ BAT mass ↑ sWAT in males High fat diet, females vs. males: ↑ Energy expenditure |
↑ Complex I and II respiration |
| Energy restriction | ||||
| Valle et al. (2005) [44] Valle et al. (2007) [45] |
Male and female Wistar rats |
Ad libitum feeding or restricted feeding (60% of ad libitum intake) for 100 days. | Ad libitum feeding: ↑ Energy expenditure in females vs. males Restricted diet: Females vs. males ↓ Energy expenditure ↓ BAT mass. |
↑ UCP1 protein expression ↓ UCP1 protein expression ↓ Mitochondrial protein. ↓ Mitochondial DNA content ↓ UCP1, LPL, HSL and TFAM protein expression. ↑ α2A/β3 adrenergic receptor ratio |
BAT: brown adipose tissue; HSL: hormone-sensitive lipase; LPL: lipoprotein lipase; NGF: nerve growth factor; PPARɣ: peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma; sWAT: subcutaneous white adipose tissue; TFAM: transcription factor A, mitochondrial; UCP1: uncoupling protein 1; UCP2: uncoupling protein 2.