Omega-3 supplementation reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in the gut of obese rats

Abstract

Obesity is a complex metabolic disease that does not have an effective treatment. It has been demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to metabolism, but little is known about their effects in the gut. This study evaluated the effects of omega-3 supplementation in metabolic and intestinal changes caused by obesity. Obesity was induced by a high fat diet (HFD) for 20weeks in 40 rats. At 16th week, the animals were divided into 4 groups: standard diet (SD); SD+omega-3; HFD; and HFD+omega-3. Omega-3 groups were supplemented with omega-3 (1g/Kg) daily, for 4weeks. Food intake, biochemical parameters in the plasma, and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in the gut were evaluated. HFD+omega-3 group had a decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL compared to the HFD group. In the gut, omega-3 supplementation reduced reactive oxygen species production, lipoperoxidation, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, NFκB activation and TNFα production. These results demonstrate that omega-3 supplementation plays a beneficial role in metabolic parameters and is able to decrease oxidative stress and intestinal inflammation in obese rats. Thus, omega-3 supplementation could be a useful tool in the treatment of obesity.