Abstract
Obesity is characterized by increased lipid synthesis and its accumulation in non‐adipose tissues as the liver and skeletal muscle leading in the formation of ceramides. Ceramides are lipid‐derived metabolite that promotes insulin resistance and apoptotic cell death. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of dietary soy protein (SP) on ceramide content in liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of diabetic Zucker and diet‐induced obese rats. Zucker fatty rats fed SP had a significant reduction in hepatic ceramide content, associated with reduced serine‐palmitoil transferase 1 (SPT‐1) and dihydroceramide desaturase (DES) mRNA expression. We found no differences in ceramide content in muscle or adipose tissue. Diet‐induced obese rats fed SP showed a reduction in ceramide content in liver and adipose tissue but not in skeletal muscle. Gene expression of SPT‐1 and DES were only reduced in adipose tissue of obese rats. These results indicate that in Zucker diabetic rats, SP reduced ceramide content in liver by reducing directly hepatic synthesis. On the other hand, the effect of dietary SP in diet‐induced obese rats was primarily in reducing adipose tissue ceramide synthesis, that may lead to a lesser release of ceramide to circulation and hence hepatic uptake and accumulation.
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