High-fat and high-carbohydrate diets worsen the mouse brain susceptibility to damage produced by enterohemorrhagic

Background: Nutrition quality could be one of the reasons why, in the face of a Shiga toxin-producing enterohemorrhagic Methods: Mice were fed a regular, high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet or a combination of both previous to the intravenous administration of Shiga toxin 2 or vehicle. Four days after intravenous administration, mice were subjected to behavioral tests and then sacrificed for histological and immunofluorescence assays to determine alterations in the neurovascular unit at the cellular and functional levels. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni Results: The high-fat and the high-carbohydrate diets significantly heightened the deleterious effect of Stx2, while the combination of both diets yielded the worst results, including endothelial glycocalyx and oligodendrocyte alterations, astrocyte and microglial reactivity, neurodegeneration, and motor and sensitivity impairment. Conclusions: In view of the results presented here, poor nutrition could negatively influence patients affected by Stx2 at a neurological level. Systemic effects, however, cannot be ruled out.