Abstract
Antisteatotic effects of omega-3 fatty acids (Omega-3) in obese rodents seem to vary depending on the lipid form of their administration. Whether these effects could reflect changes in intestinal metabolism is unknown. Here, we compare Omega-3-containing phospholipids (krill oil; ω3PL-H) and triacylglycerols (ω3TG) in terms of their effects on morphology, gene expression and fatty acid (FA) oxidation in the small intestine. Male C57BL/6N mice were fed for 8 weeks with a high-fat diet (HFD) alone or supplemented with 30 mg/g diet of ω3TG or ω3PL-H. Omega-3 index, reflecting the bioavailability of Omega-3, reached 12.5% and 7.5% in the ω3PL-H and ω3TG groups, respectively. Compared to HFD mice, ω3PL-H but not ω3TG animals had lower body weight gain (−40%), mesenteric adipose tissue (−43%), and hepatic lipid content (−64%). The highest number and expression level of regulated intestinal genes was observed in ω3PL-H mice. The expression of FA ω-oxidation genes was enhanced in both Omega-3-supplemented groups, but gene expression within the FA β-oxidation pathway and functional palmitate oxidation in the proximal ileum was significantly increased only in ω3PL-H mice. In conclusion, enhanced intestinal FA oxidation could contribute to the strong antisteatotic effects of Omega-3 when administered as phospholipids to dietary obese mice.
Highlights
Obesity, i.e., excessive accumulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) in the body, is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic disorders (i.e., “metabolic syndrome”), which in turn increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death
In this study using mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), we showed that chronic omega-3 fatty acids (Omega-3) PLs supplementation in the form of krill oil induced specific changes in the small intestine, which were characterized by marked up-regulation of the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes, especially those encoding enzymes involved in ω- and β- oxidation of fatty acid (FA)
We showed here that Omega-3 PLs supplementation in the form of krill oil induced a higher degree of Omega-3 incorporation in plasma membranes of red blood cell (RBC) (i.e., Omega-3 index) compared to Omega-3 administered as TAG, despite the same eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in the diets
Summary
I.e., excessive accumulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) in the body, is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic disorders (i.e., “metabolic syndrome”), which in turn increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death. Increased physical activity and dietary changes could lower the incidence of type 2 diabetes in subjects with elevated fasting glucose concentrations and impaired glucose tolerance by as much as 60% [1]. In terms of the effect of dietary fatty acids (FA) on metabolism, supplementation with polyunsaturated FA of n-3 series (Omega-3) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), which are found in marine fish and fish oils, could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease [2].
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