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Research
We are interested in understanding how basic physiologic processes in our body work and explore how those processes are altered in conditions of obesity and obesogenic diets. This is relevant since 75% of the adult population in our country and in many countries in the world live with overweight and obesity.
Image from: Dena-Beltran et al, AJP-CP, 2025
Our team studies the role of the hormone prolactin in metabolism and in early postnatal development in health and disease. We have made interesting discoveries regarding the role of prolactin present in maternal milk in the physiology of the offspring, and would like to understand how those actions are altered in obesogenic environments. For this, we use rodent models and a battery of molecular, cellular and whole body physiology methods.
Our team proposed that prolactin levels are key to understand its physiopathological actions, so that low prolactin levels as well as very high prolactin levels are deleterious for metabolism whereas medium and moderately high prolactin levels are protective. We have named these protective range of prolactin levels as HOMEO-FIT-PRL for homeostatic, functionally increased prolactinemia. Next, we aim to understand which factors up and downregulate PRL levels during metabolic challenges, such as obesity, and what are the consequences of altered PRL levels for metabolic homeostasis.
Image from: Macotela et al, TEM, 2020
Resources
Image from: Ruiz-Herrera et al, J Vis Exp, 2023
Our protocol to induce insulin resistance in primary cultures of adipocytes published in JoVe will be included in the
Mammalian Adipose Tissue Knowledge Portal (MATKP; matkp.org). Please find the protocol in the following link:
https://app.jove.com/t/63979/differentiated-mouse-adipocytes-primary-culture-model-insulin
Ruiz-Herrera, X., Luzardo-Ocampo, I., Martínez de la Escalera, G., Clapp, C., Macotela, Y. Differentiated Mouse Adipocytes in Primary Culture: A Model of Insulin Resistance. J. Vis. Exp.(192), e63979, doi:10.3791/63979 (2023).
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