Abstract
Consumption of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is related to improvement in the inflammatory response associated with decreases in metabolic disorders of obesity, such as low-grade inflammation and hepatic steatosis. Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) oil is a primary source of n-3 fatty acids (FAs) of plant origin, particularly α-linolenic acid, and provides an alternative for the ingestion of n-3 PUFA by persons allergic to, or wishing to avoid, animal sources. In our study, we evaluated the effect of the consumption of different lipidic sources on metabolic and inflammatory parameters in Wistar rats. We split 56 male rats into four groups that were fed for 60 days with the following diets: sesame oil, (SO, Sesamum indicum), linseed oil (LO), SO + LO (SLO), and a control group (CG) fed with animal fat. Our results reveal that the use of LO or SLO produced improvements in the hepatic tissue, such as lower values of aspartate aminotransferase, liver weight, and hepatic steatosis. LO and SLO reduced the weight of visceral fats, weight gain, and mediated the inflammation through a decrease in interleukin (IL)-6 and increase in IL-10. Though we did not detect any significant differences in the intestine histology and the purinergic system enzymes, the consumption of α-linolenic acid appears to contribute to the inflammatory and hepatic modulation of animals compared with a diet rich in saturated FAs and or unbalanced in n-6/n-3 PUFAs, inferring possible use in treatment of metabolic disorders associated with obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Highlights
In view of the promising results we published on the use of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of plant origin as a lipid source in Wistar rats evidenced by the positive effects on the lipid and glycemic profile, in this study, our objective was to investigate the effect of linseed and sesame oils, sources of ALA and n-6 PUFA, respectively, on target organs and the inflammatory mediation of the metabolism of Wistar rats
Content, whereas linseed oil (LO) had the highest values of PUFA and predominance of α-linolenic acid (ALA), at 51.89%
atherogenic index (AI) and thrombogenic index (TI) demonstrate the capacity of fatty acids (FAs) to promote or prevent atherosclerosis and coronary thrombosis based on their effects on serum cholesterol and concentrations of cholesterol of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
Summary
The state of low-grade inflammation is the pathological characteristic associated with chronical diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome (MS), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [7,8,9]. Studies suggest the actuation of IL-6 in inflammation, mainly concerning hypertriglyceridemia associated with visceral obesity, increases insulin resistance and accumulation of hepatic fat, characteristic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or hepatic steatosis [10,11]. IL-10 creates an anti-inflammatory physiological condition in the adipose tissue (AT), inhibiting the production of TNF-α and IL-6, and increasing the levels of the other anti-inflammatory cytokines [12]
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