Abstract
Flaxseed cake containing antioxidants is a valuable dietary component. Its nutritional effect may be diminished by the presence of anti-nutrients. The work was aimed at determining the effect of different contents of flaxseed cake in diets and their administration period on the development of rats and selected parameters of their health status. Diets with 15% and 30% addition of genetically modified (GM) flax seed cake with enhanced synthesis of polyphenols, as well as Linola non-GM flax were administered in short-term (33 days) and long-term (90 days) experiments. The 30% addition of flaxseed cake reduced digestibility of dietary nutrients, GM flaxseed cake lowered body weight gains. The relative weight of selected organs, hematological blood markers and serum activities of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST, ALT) were not affected. Flaxseed cake consumption reduced serum concentration of albumins and increased globulins. Administration of 30% flaxseed cake improved plasma total antioxidant status and 30% GM flaxseed cake lowered liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. The activities of superoxide dismutase in erythrocytes, glutathione peroxidase in plasma and the liver concentration of 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine were not changed. Most morphometric parameters of the small intestine did not differ between feeding groups. The administration of diets with 30% addition of flaxseed cake for 90 days improved the antioxidant status in rats.
Highlights
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the oldest crops cultivated worldwide
The application of a 30% dose of genetically modified (GM) flaxseed cake of W92 line, which simultaneously overexpressed three main enzymes of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, and of non-GM flaxseed cake in diets in the 90-day experiment did not cause any adverse effects on the health status of rats that could be ascribed to the presence of anti-nutrients
Digestibility of the main dietary constituents and organic matter was lower in the case of diets containing flaxseed cake compared to the control diet (Control) diet
Summary
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the oldest crops cultivated worldwide. Owing to the content of oil with a beneficial fatty acid composition ( omega-3 fatty acids, i.e., alpha-linolenic acid) and considerable contents of many biologically-active substances and soluble fractions of fiber, flaxseeds have for years been acknowledged as an exceptionally valuable diet component and feedstuff characterized by high nutritional and dietary values. The enhancement of polyphenols synthesis induced in plants of genetically modified (GM) flax via overexpression of chalcone synthase (CHS) and chalcone isomerase (CHI) as well as dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) increases the applicability of flaxseeds and flaxseed cake as dietary components with a health-promoting potential [1,2]. Upon the action of enteric microflora, plant lignans are transformed into bioactive endogenous mammalian lignans—enterodiol and enterolactone. Their health-promoting properties are due to their impact on the hormonal activity of a consumer organism (they are phytoestrogens), but most of all due to their significant antioxidative potential and capability for cell protection against oxidative stress [8,9,10]
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