Abstract
BackgroundObesity, a risk factor for many chronic diseases, is a potential independent risk factor for iron deficiency. Evidence has shown that chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) has protective or improved effects on cardiovascular, nervous, metabolic and immune systems. We hypothesized that CIHH may ameliorate the abnormal iron metabolism in obesity. This study was aimed to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanisms of CIHH on iron metabolism in high-fat-high-fructose-induced obese rats.MethodsSix to seven weeks old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with different diet for 16 weeks, and according to body weight divided into four groups: control (CON), CIHH (28-day, 6-h daily hypobaric hypoxia treatment simulating an altitude of 5000 m), dietary-induced obesity (DIO; induced by high fat diet and 10% fructose water feeding), and DIO + CIHH groups. The body weight, systolic arterial pressure (SAP), Lee index, fat coefficient, blood lipids, blood routine, iron metabolism parameters, interleukin6 (IL-6) and erythropoietin (Epo) were measured. The morphological changes of the liver, kidney and spleen were examined. Additionally, hepcidin mRNA expression in liver was analyzed.ResultsThe DIO rats displayed obesity, increased SAP, lipids metabolism disorders, damaged morphology of liver, kidney and spleen, disturbed iron metabolism, increased IL-6 level and hepcidin mRNA expression, and decreased Epo compared to CON rats. But all the aforementioned abnormalities in DIO rats were improved in DIO + CIHH rats.ConclusionsCIHH improves iron metabolism disorder in obese rats possibly through the down-regulation of hepcidin by decreasing IL-6 and increasing Epo.
Highlights
Obesity, a risk factor for many chronic diseases, is a potential independent risk factor for iron deficiency
Effect of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) on obesity parameters The Lee index and fat coefficient, an index for the visceral fat content and obesity, similar to human’s Body Mass Index, were significantly increased in dietary-induced obesity (DIO) rats compared with CON rats (3.18 ± 0.04 vs. 2.93 ± 0.09 and 4.23 ± 0.52% vs. 1.44 ± 0.26%, respectively, P < 0.01), and were decreased in DIO + CIHH rats compared with DIO rats (3.02 ± 0.03 vs. 3.18 ± 0.04 and 2.87 ± 0.36% vs. 4.23 ± 0.52%, respectively, P < 0.01; Fig. 1d, e)
Effect of CIHH on blood biochemical parameters Blood lipids Compared with CON rats, total cholesterol (TC), TG and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) were significantly increased in DIO rats (P < 0.01), whereas TC were decreased in DIO + CIHH rats compared with DIO rats (P < 0.01), there were no differences in TG and LDL between DIO + CIHH and DIO rats (P > 0.05)
Summary
A risk factor for many chronic diseases, is a potential independent risk factor for iron deficiency. This study was aimed to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanisms of CIHH on iron metabolism in high-fat-high-fructose-induced obese rats. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the benefits of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) on multiple organs of the body such as heart, brain, liver, and kidney [15,16,17,18], including regulating immune system, anti-collagen-induced arthritis [19], antihypertensive activity [15], and improving dyslipidemia and glucose tolerance in type 2 diabetes [16]. We aimed to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanisms of CIHH on iron metabolism in dietary-induced obesity (DIO) rats
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