Exploring the Impact of a High-Fat Diet on Brain Homeostasis: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Absence of Inflammation.

ABSTRACT: Excessive fat consumption increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), potentially through diet-induced neuroinflammation. Microglia, the brain's immune cells, are affected by obesity and diet. Phytosterols (PS), plant-derived cholesterol-like compounds, accumulate in the brain with age, and their content correlates with dietary intake. We hypothesize that the accumulation of PS modulates microglial activation and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the effects of a normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD with 2% PS (HFD+2% PS), and HFD with 4% PS (HFD+4% PS) on neuroinflammation in female and male C57BL/6J mice. Flow cytometry (FC) of microglia showed no significant regulation of pro- (IFN-γ, IL-1β, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines due to diet, but sex- a

SUBMITTER: Plantera L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12538544 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature