Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-obesity effect of flavonoid eriodictyol (ED) supplementation in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). C57BL/6N mice were fed with normal diet (ND), HFD (40 kcal% fat), or HFD + 0.005% (w/w) ED for 16 weeks. In HFD-induced obese mice, dietary ED supplementation significantly alleviated dyslipidemia and adiposity by downregulating the expression of lipogenesis-related genes in white adipose tissue (WAT), while enhancing fecal lipid excretion. ED additionally improved hepatic steatosis and decreased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by downregulating the expression of hepatic enzymes and the genes involved in lipogenesis and upregulating the expression of hepatic fatty acid oxidation-related enzymes and genes. In addition, ED improved insulin resistance (IR) by suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis, enhancing glucose utilization, and modulating the production and release of two incretin hormones, namely gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Taken together, the current findings indicated that ED can protect against diet-induced obesity and related metabolic disturbances, including dyslipidemia, inflammation, fatty liver disease, and IR in diet-induced obese mice.
Highlights
High-fat food products are highly consumed, in the United States, leading to high rates of obesity, which represents one of the most severe burdens on healthcare systems
Obesity has been closely linked to metabolic syndrome and is often accompanied by increased adiposity, dyslipidemia, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance (IR), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) [1]
The mechanisms underlying abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome are not fully understood, the dysregulation of lipid metabolism in liver and white adipose tissue (WAT) is considered a significant factor that contributes to adiposity and obesity-related complications [2]
Summary
High-fat food products are highly consumed, in the United States, leading to high rates of obesity, which represents one of the most severe burdens on healthcare systems. Obesity has been closely linked to metabolic syndrome and is often accompanied by increased adiposity, dyslipidemia, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance (IR), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) [1]. The mechanisms underlying abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome are not fully understood, the dysregulation of lipid metabolism in liver and white adipose tissue (WAT) is considered a significant factor that contributes to adiposity and obesity-related complications [2]. Chronic inflammation is common in obese individuals and it is strongly linked to insulin resistance [8]. These observations suggest that ED is probably effective in preventing obesity and its complications.
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