Abstract
Obesity and ageing are current issues of global concern. Adaptive homeostasis is compromised in the elderly, who are more likely to suffer age-related health issues, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. The current worldwide prevalence of obesity and higher life expectancy call for new strategies for treating metabolic disorders. Grape-seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) is reported to be effective in ameliorating these pathologies, especially in young animal models. In this study, we aimed to test the effectiveness of GSPE in modulating obesity-related pathologies in aged rats fed an obesogenic diet. To do so, 21-month-old rats were fed a high-fat/high-sucrose diet (cafeteria diet) for 11 weeks. Two time points for GSPE administration (500 mg/kg body weight), i.e., a 10-day preventive GSPE treatment prior to cafeteria diet intervention and a simultaneous GSPE treatment with the cafeteria diet, were assayed. Body weight, metabolic parameters, liver steatosis, and systemic inflammation were analysed. GSPE administered simultaneously with the cafeteria diet was effective in reducing body weight, total adiposity, and liver steatosis. However, the preventive treatment was effective in reducing only mesenteric adiposity in these obese, aged rats. Our results confirm that the simultaneous administration of GSPE improves metabolic disruptions caused by the cafeteria diet also in aged rats.
Highlights
The supernatant collected used for further triacylglycerol cafeteria diet, we first tested its effectiveness on body weight gain
To evaluate the effects of Grape-seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) in aged rats after an obesogenic challenge, such as5the of 16 cafeteria diet, we first tested its effectiveness on body weight gain
Despite the fact that GSPEspecific mechanisms of action to reduce adiposity and body weight gain have not been fully elucidated, out results in the present study suggest that effects of GSPE could be partially mediated by the decrease in food intake
Summary
Obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation and metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by alterations in glucose, fatty acids, and amino acid metabolism and leads both to a decrease in insulin sensitivity and a decline in one’s ability to adjust to energy availability [2]. The prevalence of obesity is increasing steadily among the aged population [3] at a time when the number and proportion of older people are growing worldwide. Ageing is associated with the progressive loss of physiological functions [5] as well as metabolic alterations, such as increases in (1) abdominal white adipose tissue, (2) fat deposition in skeletal muscle and the liver, and (3) the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, all of which lead to a decrease in insulin sensitivity [5]. Obesity and ageing contribute to the development of associated diseases, mainly type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and several types of cancer
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