PhD. Topics
Centre of Experimental Medicine SAS
Topic
The impact of combined treatment with natural substances on changes in lipid and protein metabolism caused by rheumatoid cachexia
PhD. program
Pharmacology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
PharmDr. Silvester Poništ, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University
Annotation
Rheumatoid cachexia is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by muscle wasting and fat redistribution, driven by chronic inflammation (overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β). It is associated with dysregulation of protein (impaired mTOR signaling) and lipid metabolism (decreased HDL cholesterol, increased oxidized LDL cholesterol and increased triglycerides), leading to functional impairment and increased cardiovascular risk. Adjuvant arthritis in Lewis rats is a well-established model of inflammatory cachexia. This model mimics many systemic and metabolic features of RA, including chronic inflammation, muscle wasting, and metabolic dysregulation. The topic of the dissertation will be the therapeutic modulation of muscle catabolism and dyslipidemia caused by inflammatory cachexia using a combination therapy of methotrexate with natural compounds. We will focus on monitoring markers of protein synthesis and catabolism, as well as markers of dyslipidemia.