Red pitaya juice supplementation ameliorates energy balance homeostasis by modulating obesity-related genes in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome rats.

Nurul Shazini Ramli,Patimah Ismail,Asmah Rahmat

doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1200-3

Nurul Shazini Ramli, Patimah Ismail + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1200-3

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Abstract

BackgroundRed pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) or known as buah naga merah in Malay belongs to the cactus family, Cactaceae. Red pitaya has been shown to give protection against liver damage and may reduce the stiffness of the heart. Besides, the beneficial effects of red pitaya against obesity have been reported; however, the mechanism of this protection is not clear. Therefore, in the present study, we have investigated the red pitaya-targeted genes in obesity using high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome rat model.MethodsA total of four groups were tested: corn-starch (CS), corn-starch + red pitaya juice (CRP), high-carbohydrate, high-fat (HCHF) and high-carbohydrate, high-fat + red pitaya juice (HRP). The intervention with 5 % red pitaya juice was continued for 8 weeks after 8 weeks initiation of the diet. Retroperitoneal, epididymal and omental fat pads were collected and weighed. Plasma concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α were measured using commercial kits. Gene expression analysis was conducted using RNA extracted from liver samples. A total of eighty-four genes related to obesity were analyzed using PCR array.ResultsThe rats fed HCHF-diet for 16 weeks increased body weight, developed excess abdominal fat deposition and down-regulated the expression level of IL-1α, IL-1r1, and Cntfr as compared to the control group. Supplementation of red pitaya juice for 8 weeks increased omental and epididymal fat but no change in retroperitoneal fat was observed. Red pitaya juice reversed the changes in energy balance homeostasis in liver tissues by regulation of the expression levels of Pomc and Insr. The increased protein expression levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in HCHF group and red pitaya treated rats confirmed the results of gene expression.ConclusionCollectively, this study revealed the usefulness of this diet-induced rat model and the beneficial effects of red pitaya on energy balance homeostasis by modulating the anorectic, orexigenic and energy expenditure related genes.

Highlights

Red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) or known as buah naga merah in Malay belongs to the cactus family, Cactaceae
Abdominal fats and visceral adiposity index An increase in retroperitoneal adipose tissue was observed in corn-starch + red pitaya juice (CRP) but not in high-fat + red pitaya juice (HRP) compared to their respective nontreated controls (CS and HCHF groups) (Table 2)
In summary, the present results demonstrated that genetic mechanisms play a major role in determining body weight by controlling energy balance homeostasis

Summary

Introduction

Red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) or known as buah naga merah in Malay belongs to the cactus family, Cactaceae. The beneficial effects of red pitaya against obesity have been reported; the mechanism of this protection is not clear. The social-environmental influences such as reduced physical activity, increased sedentary behavior and increased accessibility of high-fat and energy-dense foods facilitate the obesity pandemic by disrupting the body’s energy balance. It is postulated that the central nervous system controls energy balance through several mechanisms. These include it influence on feeding and physical activity behavior, the regulation of the autonomic nervous system activities including metabolism, and changes in key hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, insulin, growth hormone, sex steroids, cortisol and thyroid hormones [1, 4,5,6]. It is critical to understand the gut-brain interaction underlying the appetite and feeding regulation of energy balance to develop new pharmacogenetical strategy for obesity studies

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