Effects of β-glucan Rich Barley Flour on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in the Ileum, Liver, and Adipose Tissues of High-Fat Diet Induced-Obesity Model Male Mice Analyzed by DNA Microarray.

Kento Mio,Toshiki Kobayashi,Chiemi Yamanaka,Tsubasa Matsuoka,Seiichiro Aoe

doi:10.3390/nu12113546

Abstract

We evaluated whether intake of β-glucan-rich barley flour affects expression levels of genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism in the ileum, liver, and adipose tissues of mice fed a high-fat diet. C57BL/6J male mice were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with high β-glucan barley, for 92 days. We measured the expression levels of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism in the ileum, liver, and adipose tissues using DNA microarray and q-PCR. The concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the cecum was analyzed by GC/MS. The metabolic syndrome indices were improved by barley flour intake. Microarray analysis showed that the expression of genes related to steroid synthesis was consistently decreased in the liver and adipose tissues. The expression of genes involved in glucose metabolism did not change in these organs. In liver, a negative correlation was showed between some SCFAs and the expression levels of mRNA related to lipid synthesis and degradation. Barley flour affects lipid metabolism at the gene expression levels in both liver and adipose tissues. We suggest that SCFAs are associated with changes in the expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism in the liver and adipose tissues, which affect lipid accumulation.

Highlights

Metabolic syndrome is widely known as a multi-factorial disorder with symptoms such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and visceral fat obesity
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the intake of β-glucan-rich barley flour affects the expression levels of genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism in the ileum, liver, and adipose tissues of mice fed a high-fat diet using a DNA microarray and subsequent analysis by q-polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Our study provides evidence that β-glucan-rich barley flour affects lipid metabolism in the liver and adipose tissues at the gene expression level in high-fat obesity model mice

Summary

Introduction

Metabolic syndrome is widely known as a multi-factorial disorder with symptoms such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and visceral fat obesity. This syndrome is promoted by irregular eating, lack of exercise, excessive drinking of alcohol and stress, which may cause risk factors such as cardiovascular disease, coronary disease, and type 2 diabetes [1]. Another report showed that whole-grain consumption (48–80 g/3–5 serving/day) reduced the incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and concentrations of total and LDL-cholesterol in serum [3]. A systematic review reported that intake of a whole-grain and fiber diet reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes, the incidence of being

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