Abstract

Obesity is closely associated with the increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Due to the lack of proper pharmacological treatments for NAFLD, finding novel ingredients is necessary to reduce its incidence. Cocoa shell is a cocoa byproduct verified as a safe ingredient and a potential source of health-promoting compounds. Hence, this study’s main objective was to evaluate, after an in vitro simulated digestion, the hypolipidemic properties of the residual fraction of cocoa shell flour and the biological activity of the digested fractions of cocoa shell flour and extract in HepG2 cells. An in vitro static digestion (INFOGEST) of cocoa shell flour was used to establish the residual fraction’s capacity to bind cholesterol and bile salts and inhibit lipase. The results showed that digestion promoted the ability to bind cholesterol and bile salts of a residual fraction from a cocoa shell up to 65.2% and 90.5%. Moreover, digestion improved (1.6-fold, p < 0.05) the ability to inhibit lipase activity. The digested fractions of the flour and extract from the cocoa shell (50–250 µg/mL) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the accumulation of fat (17–42%), triglycerides (9–38%), and cholesterol (11–54%) in HepG2 cells after NAFLD induction with palmitic acid (500 µM). In conclusion, digestion positively impacted the hypolipidemic properties of cocoa shells in vitro and enhanced their biological activity in cell culture models. Since cocoa shells might be used as a safe, novel ingredient to prevent hyperlipidemia and regulate lipid metabolism, future animal and clinical investigations will be necessary to confirm the effects observed.

Highlights

  • Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue

  • nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease, representing the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, ranging from simple steatosis to necroinflammation and fibrosis, leading to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which often results in a progression to cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma [2,3]

  • Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium low glucose (1000 mg/mL) (DMEM) and 0.25% trypsin-EDTA were purchased from GE Healthcare Life S Life Technologies. [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) was purchased from Promega Corporation (Carlsbad, CA, USA). o-Phthalaldehyde, furfural, bile salts, lipase, Tween® 20, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), Palmitic Acid (PA), 2′,7′dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA), and Oil Red O were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. It is closely associated with multiple metabolic risk factors for a cardiovascular disease, including insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and a spectrum of liver abnormalities, known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [1]. Due to the lack of proper pharmacological treatments for NAFLD, modifying the diet to prevent obesity and its comorbidities is the principal candidate. In this context, finding novel ingredients that may help us to reduce the incidence of these disorders is necessary

Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.