A team of researchers from Sidra Medicine have published a study about the molecular changes to the body as a result of short term fasting. The study, which was led by Dr. Luis R. Saraiva, the Director of the Metabolism and Diabetes Research Program at Sidra Medicine, has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Metabolism.

Dr. Luis R. Saraiva, who was the lead author on the study said: “Fasting has been practised around the world for millennia, for either religious or health reasons. It has recently been considered a potential therapy to treat various conditions – whether related to weight loss; treating auto-immune diseases or to increase lifespan. While there are many clinical trials looking into the impact of fasting in these areas, the molecular mechanisms underlying fasting remain poorly understood, especially at the whole organism level.”

“Our four-year-long research sought to address this key question – what impact does fasting have on the body and its different organs? Other questions we aimed to tackle were - does the time range of how long the fasts last play a role and what internal organs or systems are the drivers that change the way our entire body reacts to fasting? Once we understand this – it will change the way we approach fasting as a mechanism to treat diseases and to develop customized treatment therapies for patients. This is very much in line with our research strategy to continue on the path of personalized medicine for patients and families in Qatar,” continued Dr Saraiva.

Dr. Saraiva and his team’s study were able to find unique and novel insights into the underlying mechanisms of fasting and its effects an organismal level. They identified and were able to provide evidence that the immune system is a major target of short-term fasting among a “brain-liver-fats” organ network.

To investigate the molecular basis of fasting, the researchers used laboratory mice as a model to compare the molecular changes in nine different body tissues during five different time ranges of fasting, ranging from 2-22 hours. The team utilized the Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) sequencing technologies available at the Sidra Medicine’s Genomics Core facility, to identify active genes in the various organs across the different fasting times. They then used their bioinformatics expertise to decode the biological pathways that these changes were affecting.

The team discovered that fasting time affects the organs in different ways, in terms of what genes are more or less active. They also identified an organ network, including vital organs such as the brain and the liver along with white and brown fat, formed by the similarities of their affected biological processes playing a central role in impacting the immune system.

The study at Sidra Medicine was done in collaboration with the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom; the Helmholtz Zentrum München from Germany and the Monell Chemical Senses Center in the USA. It was supported by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund, awarded to Dr. Saraiva in 2016.

Publication:

Differential regulation of the immune system in a brain-liver-fats organ network during short-term fasting.

Huang, SSY; Makhlouf, M; AbouMoussa, EH; Ruiz Tejada Segura, ML; Mathew, LS; Wang, K; Leung, MC; Chaussabel, D; Logan, DW; Scialdone, A; Garand, M; Saraiva, LR.

Mol Metab. 2020 Jun 8;40:101038. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101038.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877820301125?via%3Dihub

Cover image: (Standing left from right) - Eman Aboumoussa, Dr. Melanie Mahklouf, Dr. Luis Saraiva, Dr. Susie Huang, Dr. Mathieu Garand. The team photo was taken before social distancing measures were implemented.

Source: Sidra Medicine

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Binu Cherian

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