Effects of Milk Fat Globule Membrane on Lymphocyte Gene Expression and Markers of Metabolism and Inflammation in the Postprandial Period

Abstract

ObjectiveTo test for a difference in lymphocyte gene expression in response to a high fat dairy challenge with or without milk fat globule membrane (MFGM).MethodsData was analyzed from twenty individuals with BMI > 25.0 kg/m2. On two separate occasions, each participant consumed a dairy‐based meal high in saturated fat with or without the addition of MFGM, following a 12‐hour fasting blood draw. Inflammatory markers including interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and C‐reactive protein (CRP), lipid and metabolic panels, and lymphocyte gene expression fold changes were measured using multi‐plex assays, clinical lab services, and TaqMan RT‐PCR, respectively. Fold changes were determined using the Pfaffl method, tested for differences through Wilcoxon Signed Rank, and corrected for multiple comparisons. Postprandial responses were quantified using incremental area under the curve (iAUC). Data was analyzed in Microsoft Excel and JMP Pro 13. Correlation analysis was used to determine associations between markers.ResultsThe median postprandial insulin response was found to be significantly lower following the meal containing MFGM (p=0.0003). Out of 56 genes analyzed, EPHX2 was shown to be more up‐regulated in the absence of MFGM (p=0.009). The median gene expression was lower and had a narrower response range when MFGM was added to the high‐fat test meal.ConclusionThe protein and lipid composition of MFGM is thought to be anti‐inflammatory. These exploratory analyses suggest that addition of MFGM to a high saturated fat meal may attenuate the upregulation of soluble epoxide hydrolase gene expression. Changes in inflammatory markers are important for determining a patient's inflammatory status, which is useful for the development of personalized nutrition and medicine, and disease prevention.This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01811329Support or Funding InformationThis project was made possible by support from the National Dairy Council, Rosemont, IL. and the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Western Human Nutrition Research CenterThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.