Effect of High Fat Diets on Neurotransmitter Levels Within Mice Brain and Gut

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While consumption of a high-fat diet has been linked to obesity and cardiovascular disease, less is known about its effects on the brain and behavior. Neurotransmitter production and release could become altered due to a high-fat diets; one hypothesis is via an altered gut microbiome, which can be further convoluted by differences between sexes that are not yet fully understood. Female mice exhibit increased resistance to diet-induced obesity compared to males. This study focused on applying separations to measure and compare neurotransmitter and metabolite levels in the colon, cerebellum, and brain stem of mice that were fed a high-fat diet (provides 45% kcals from fat) or control diet (provides 10% kcals from fat). To study biogenic amines within biological systems, small-sample-handling separations using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been developed. HPLC is one of the most broadly used separation methods due to its decreased sample time compared to column chromatography and increased separation capability from smaller particle stationary phases available from the high pressures used within the system. Combined with a highly sensitive detection system such as electrochemistry, HPLC has been shown to be a natural method of measuring biogenic amines in numerous model systems, such as mice, rats, flies, and zebrafish. Few studies have successfully quantified multiple neurotransmitters simultaneously, despite their careful regulation by the body and dependence upon one another.