Faculty of 
The subject of the research group are changes to the fatty acid composition of individual organs and the transport of lipids through cell membranes in Types 1 and 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
The research group was established in 2014 and operates today on the basis of two projects funded by the Croatian Science Foundation: “Nutritive modulation of the metabolism using docosahexaenoic acid in diabetic dyslipidemia” and “Lipids in food, gender and age in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome”.
The subject of the project are changes to the fatty acid composition of individual organs and the transport of lipids through cell membranes in Types 1 and 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
As well as the Veterinary Faculty in Zagreb, the Faculty of Agro-Biotechnical Sciences in Osijek, the Faculty of Agronomy in Zagreb, the Veterinary Faculty in Ljubljana, the Medical Faculty in Split, the University of Coimbra, Portugal, Pliva Croatia Ltd, Fidelta Ltd, and the Institute of Medical Research and Occupational Medicine in Zagreb are also involved in the projects.
The laboratories of the research group are equipped with modern equipment for chemical, biochemical and molecular methods. The equipment includes: GC-MS, UV-HPLC, HPLC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, AAS, UV-spectrophotometer, western-blotting, PCR, Soxhlet, Kjeldahl, biochemical and haematology analysers. The analyses which are routinely undertaken in the laboratories of the team include: analysis of the composition of fatty acids (phospholipids, triglyceride), oxidative status (MDA, 4-HNE), cholesterol in tissue, quantification of protein transporters of lipids through the cell membrane (MFSD2a, FATP, CD36) and other proteins included in lipid metabolism, insulin signalling and inflammation (FABP 1-5, IRα i β, IRS1 i 2, LKB, Akt, visfantin, resistin-like β, adiponektin, NFκ-B, VEGF, αSMA), expression of genes included in lipid metabolism (Δ5, 6 and 9 desaturase, elovl5, PPARα and γ, SREBP1c, FASN, ACC, MCAD, VLCAD, SDH, HADH, ACOX1 and 3, LBP, DBP; THLA, THLB, SCPx and ABCD1) and inflammation (TGF-β1, IL-6, TNF-α), immuno-histochemistry, minerals (macro, micro and trace elements: vanadium and chrome), metabolism of tissue and plasma, plasma biochemistry, haematology, and acid-base status.
All experimental animals, Wistar rats, are housed at the Institute of Medical Research and Occupational Medicine in Zagreb. The further course of the projects includes the development of a cell laboratory, and work on primary cultures of hepatocytes and Fat-1 transgenic mice.
Papers published in CC and WOS databases
We invite all those interested in the subject of the research group to contact the heads.
The heads of the research group are: Dr. Sc. Kristina Starčević and Assistant Prof. Tomislav Mašek
