Abstract
This study examined the effects of oral administration of water extract of chlorella (WEC) (100 mg/kg bodyweight) and phenethylamine (10 μg/kg bodyweight) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced liver damage in mice. Phenethylamine significantly mitigated HFD-induced lipid oxidation (generation of malondialdehyde) and liver damage without markedly decreasing hepatic lipid accumulation. WEC exerted similar effects although with decreased efficacy. In addition, WEC and phenethylamine decreased the methylglyoxal levels and increased the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) protein levels in the liver. Methylglyoxal is generated from substrates of GAPDH, dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. These facts indicate that methylglyoxal triggers oxidation of accumulated lipid, which generates malondialdehyde and consequently induces liver damage. Suppression of generation of toxic aldehydes by WEC and phenethylamine was also confirmed by maintaining hepatic cysteine, highly reactive to aldehydes. Thus, trace amounts of phenethylamine alleviate HFD-induced liver damage by regulating methylglyoxal via increase of GAPDH.
Highlights
Chlorella pyrenoidosa, a freshwater unicellular green alga, and its water extract have a long history of usage as food supplements.Various animal studies and clinical trials have reported that C.pyrenoidosa exhibits biological activities, such as anti-dyslipidemic and immunomodulatory activities upon oral administration[1,2]
We had identified phenethylamine (PHA) in the hot water extract of C. pyrenoidosa (WEC) at 10 μg/g dry matter and demonstrated that low dose (60 ng/g of feed) of PHA extends the lifespan of superoxide dismutase-1 gene (Sod1) mutant adults of Drosophila melanogaster[3]
The oral administration or injection of PHA (> 25 mg/kg bodyweight) resulted in impaired behaviors in rodents[29,30]. These findings indicate that PHA exerts adverse effects at high doses, which may be through the induction of enhanced oxidative stress
Summary
A freshwater unicellular green alga, and its water extract have a long history of usage as food supplements.Various animal studies and clinical trials have reported that C.pyrenoidosa exhibits biological activities, such as anti-dyslipidemic and immunomodulatory activities upon oral administration[1,2]. We had identified phenethylamine (PHA) in the hot water extract of C. pyrenoidosa (WEC) at 10 μg/g dry matter and demonstrated that low dose (60 ng/g of feed) of PHA extends the lifespan of superoxide dismutase-1 gene (Sod1) mutant adults of Drosophila melanogaster[3]. This suggested that treatment with a low dose of PHA ameliorates oxidative stress in D. melanogaster, as SOD-1 plays a substantial role in the antioxidant system. We had reported the biological activity of trace amounts of PHA in D
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