Assessing the effects of yellow passion fruit peel flour (Passiflora edulis) in the treatment and / or prevention of obesity and comorbidities in vivo

Abstract

Currently, obesity is one of the most important problems of public health worldwide. Nutritional sciences have investigated foods; which may be adjuvants in current therapies, acting in the prevention of obesity and comorbidities. The passion fruit peel flour is a food rich in soluble and insoluble fiber and phenolic compounds. Therefore, it would be able to assist in improving some health parameters, such as modulation of microbiota and combating oxidative stress . This study aims to investigate the action of passion fruit peel flour on the molecular and physiological mechanisms, prevention and treatment of obesity in vivo. Three 'in vivo' experiments will be conducted to assess prebiotic and antioxidant effect of the passion fruit peel flour as supplementation in Swiss mice fed high-fat or pattern diet. The effects of the passion fruit peel flour on the modulation of the microbiota, SCFA production, gut hormones, serum adipokines, lipid profile, insulin resistance, modulation of gene expression and oxidative stress in animals will be assessed. The results will be submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and treatment means will be compared by Tukey test (p<0.05) and the nonparametric by Kruskal-Wallis test (p<0.05). The project will run between the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2014. (AU)