Oral administration of short chain fatty acids could attenuate fat deposition of pigs.

A R Jiao,J Yu,P Zheng,H Diao,D W Chen,Y H Luo,B Yu,J He,J Q Luo,Z Q Huang,X B Mao,Daotai Nie

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0196867

Abstract

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the main products of indigestible carbohydrates that are fermented by microbiota in the hindgut. This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral SCFAs administration on the lipid metabolism of weaned pigs. A total of 21 barrows were randomly allocated into three groups, including control group (orally infused with 200 mL physiological saline per day), low dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 20.04 mM, propionic acid 7.71 mM and butyric acid 4.89 mM per day), and high dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 40.08 mM, propionic acid 15.42 mM and butyric acid 9.78 mM per day). The results showed that the average daily feed intake of SCFAs groups were lower than that of control group (P<0.05). Oral administration of SCFAs decreased the concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and insulin (P<0.05), and increased the leptin concentration in serum (P<0.05). The total fat, as well as TC and TG levels in liver, was decreased by oral SCFAs administration (P<0.05). In addition, SCFAs down-regulated the mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (P<0.05), and enhanced the mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1α (CPT-1α) in liver (P<0.05). SCFAs also decreased FAS, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor σ mRNA expressions in longissimus dorsi (P<0.05). And in abdominal fat, SCFAs reduced FAS and ACC mRNA expressions (P<0.05), and increased CPT-1α mRNA expression (P<0.05). These results suggested that oral administration of SCFAs could attenuate fat deposition in weaned pigs via reducing lipogenesis and enhancing lipolysis of different tissues.

Highlights

In recent years, owing to decreased physical activities and increased energy intake, metabolic syndrome, especially obesity, has become a global epidemic [1, 2]
High dose short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) group had lower insulin concentration and greater leptin concentration in serum compared with control group (P
According to previous experiment in which beet pulp was used as a dietary fiber source, the average concentrations of SCFAs in colon were as follows: acetic acid 40.08 mM, propionic acid 15.41 mM and butyric acid 9.78 mM

Summary

Introduction

In recent years, owing to decreased physical activities and increased energy intake, metabolic syndrome, especially obesity, has become a global epidemic [1, 2]. The incidence of obesity in most western countries is over 20%, which prompts us to find new therapies that are more effective [3]. The role of dietary fiber in body weight management has caught more. Short chain fatty acids attenuate fat deposition to DWC. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Methods

Results

Conclusion