Abstract
BackgroundNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic component of metabolic syndrome and has attracted widespread attention due to its increased prevalence. Daily dietary management is an effective strategy for the prevention of NAFLD. Quinoa, a nutritious pseudocereal, is abundant in antioxidative bioactive phytochemicals. In the present study, the effects of different amounts of quinoa on the progression of NAFLD and the related molecular mechanism were investigated.MethodsMale SD rats were simultaneously administered a high fat diet (HF) and different amounts of quinoa (equivalent to 100 g/day and 300 g/day of human intake, respectively). After 12 weeks of the intervention, hepatic TG (triglyceride) and TC (total cholesterol) as well as serum antioxidative parameters were determined, and hematoxylin–eosin staining (H&E) staining was used to evaluate hepatic steatosis. Differential metabolites in serum and hepatic tissue were identified using UPLC-QTOF-MSE. The mRNA expression profile was investigated using RNA-Seq and further verified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).ResultsLow amounts of quinoa (equivalent to 100 g/d of human intake) effectively controlled the weight of rats fed a high-fat diet. In addition, quinoa effectively inhibited the increase in hepatic TG and TC levels, mitigated pathological injury, promoted the increase in SOD and GSH-Px activities, and decreased MDA levels. Nontarget metabolic profile analysis showed that quinoa regulated lipid metabolites in the circulation system and liver such as LysoPC and PC. RNA-Seq and RT-PCR verification revealed that a high amount of quinoa more effectively upregulated genes related to lipid metabolism [Apoa (apolipoprotein)5, Apoa4, Apoc2] and downregulated genes related to the immune response [lrf (interferon regulatory factor)5, Tlr6 (Toll-like receptor), Tlr10, Tlr11, Tlr12].ConclusionQuinoa effectively prevented NAFLD by controlling body weight, mitigating oxidative stress, and regulating the lipid metabolic profile and the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism and the immune response.
Highlights
A high-fat (HF) diet has become one of the common dietary styles worldwide, resulting in metabolic health problems such as fatty liver, which is characterized by an extravagant aggregation of triglycerides (TGs) in hepatocytes
The average body weight (BW) of rats in the HF diet alone group was 630 g at the end of the experiment, which was significantly higher than the average body weights (BWs) of rats in the NC group (550 g) (p < 0.01), whereas the average BWs were 586 g and 604 g in the HF + LQ and HL + HQ groups, respectively
In summary, our results demonstrated the beneficial effects of quinoa on weight gain control, improving hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress state under the HF diet style
Summary
A high-fat (HF) diet has become one of the common dietary styles worldwide, resulting in metabolic health problems such as fatty liver, which is characterized by an extravagant aggregation of triglycerides (TGs) in hepatocytes (hepatic steatosis). NAFLD has attracted widespread attention due to the increase in its prevalence from 20 to 41% worldwide [2], signifying its prevention and treatment as a strong public interest. Especially daily dietary management, are considered to be an effective strategy [4, 5]. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic component of metabolic syndrome and has attracted widespread attention due to its increased prevalence. Dietary management is an effective strategy for the prevention of NAFLD. The effects of different amounts of quinoa on the progression of NAFLD and the related molecular mechanism were investigated
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