Commercial Chow Research Articles

Liver response to the consumption of fried sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used fat sources in Argentina, and deep-fat frying is the popular food preparation process. The liver response of feeding a diet containing fried sunflower oil (SFOx) on growing rats was studied. Thirty-nine male weanling Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of three diets for 8 wks: control (C), sunflower oil (SFO), and a diet containing SFOx, both of the sunflower diets were mixed with a commercial rat chow at weight ratio of 13% (w/w). Body weight and food consumption were recorded weekly. At t=8 wk, lipid profile and glycemia were measured. Visceral adiposity was registered. Liver was weighed and preserved for histological analysis, relative fatty acid profile, fibrosis markers and oxidative status.The three diets did not alter body weights; however, the SFOx fed rats showed increased energy intake and visceral fat; therefore, in liver saturated fat content, trans fatty acids, plus other unidentified minor components, such as hydroperoxides, hydroxides, epidioxides, hydroperoxy epidioxides, hydroxylepidioxides, and epoxides, were detected. The hepatosomatic index of SFOx rats was altered and showed hepatic steatosis. SFOx rats exhibited increased liver dichlorodihydrofluorescein-diacetate and thiobarbituric acid substance levels and oxidized-proteins content. Their livers had lower relative levels of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fatty acids and catalase activity, but matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity was unchanged.Consumption of a diet rich in fried oil during growth could induce liver damage due to steatosis, excessive lipid toxicity and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Further progression could lead to hepatic fibrosis.

A Preliminary Study on Hepatoprotective, Hypolipidemic and Aortic Morphometric Effects of Omega-3-Rich Fish Oil in Hypercholesterolemic Mice.

This study aims to evaluate the hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic and aortic morphometric effects of fish oil rich in omega-3 in hypercholesterolemic BALB/c mice. This is an experimental model that included 16 male BALB/c mice (Mus musculus) divided into three groups (G1 (standard commercial chow and 0.9% saline solution), G2 (hypercholesterolemic diet and 0.9% saline solution) and G3 (hypercholesterolemic diet and fish oil)) for 8 weeks. There was no significant difference in the treatment with omega-3-rich fish oil in the lipid profile (p > 0.05). In the histological analysis, group G2 detected the presence of hepatitis and liver tissue necrosis, but this was not observed in group G3. As for the morphometry in the light area of the vessel, the G1 group had a higher score (2.62 ± 0.36 mm2) when compared to G2 (2.10 ± 0.16 mm2) and G3 (2.26 ± 0.25 mm2) (p < 0.05). The vessel wall thickness did not differ between the groups (p > 0.05). It is concluded that supplementation with fish oil rich in omega-3 carried out in this study may have a protective effect on liver tissue, but it has not yet improved the lipid and morphometric profile. Despite this research being preliminary, it is a relevant study with future prospects for improving the doses of EPA and DHA in order to better elucidate the benefits of fish oil in models of dyslipidemia.

Effect of a Diet-Induced Obesity on the Progeny Response in a Murine Model

Diet-induced obesity could have detrimental effects on adults and their progeny. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a high-energy diet on both F1 mice body weight and tissue/organ weight and F2 offspring growth. A simple murine model for obesity was developed using a high-energy diet and mice reared in litters of five or ten, from 30 dams receiving a cafeteria diet of either commercial chow (low energy), or a mixture of commercial chow, chocolate (50% cacao), and salty peanuts (high energy). This diet continued from mating until weaning, when the pups were allocated according to sex into eight groups based on maternal diet, litter size, and post-weaning diet. On day 74, the males were slaughtered, and the females were bred then slaughtered after lactation. As a result, the high-energy maternal diet increased the F1 offspring growth during lactation, while the high-energy post-weaning diet increased the F1 adult body weight and tissue/organ weight. The high-energy maternal diet could negatively affect the onset of the F1 but not the maintenance of breastfeeding of F1 and F2 offspring. For F2 offspring growth, the high energy overlapped the low-energy post-weaning diet, due to problems of gaining weight during lactation.

Effect of fried sunflower oil intake on mandibular biomechanical competence of growing rats.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a diet containing fried sunflower oil on the mandible of growing rats. Male Wistar rats (21±1 day old) (n=21) were assigned at weaning to one of three diets for 8 weeks: a control diet (C), a diet containing sunflower oil (SFO) or a diet containing sunflower oil that had been repeatedly heated (SFOx); both SFO and SFOx were mixed with commercial rat chow at 13% (w/w). The consistency and viscosity of the 3 diets were similar. Zoometrics and food intake were recorded weekly. At wk=8, mandibular growth was assessed by measurements of anatomical points of cleaned bones, and mandible biomechanical competence was assessed to estimate the structural properties of the bone. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS v. 20.0. Rats fed SFOx diet attained the lowest final body weight (P=0.0074), mandibular weight (P=0.0001) and mandibular \length (P=0.0002). Load bearing capacity (Wf;N), load of yielding (Wy;N) and stiffness (Wy/dy;N/mm) of the mandible were negatively affected by both sunflower oil diets (fresh and fried) (P=0.001; P=0.002; P=0.003, respectively) though SFOx induced the most significant reduction in Wy/dy (C:44.4(5.4) > SFO:36.1(2.1) > SFOx: 26.3(3.7) N/ mm; P=0.003). The deleterious effect of SFOx on mandibular growth was more accentuated on the posterior part of the bone (C:11.4(0.3)=SFO:11.2(0.2)>SFOx: 10.7(0.2) mm; p=0.0005); the anterior/ posterior ratio (C:1.25(0.02)=SFO:1.27(0.02)<SFOx:1.32(0.03); p=0.0001) indicated that SFOx induced mandibular deformation. Consumption of SFOx diet during growth could affect mandibular morphometric properties and biomechanical competence, in terms of bone stiffness.

Effect of Solanum Sessiliflorum Dunal (Maná-cubiu) Extract in Diet-induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats

Obesity is a multifactorial disease, defined by the excessive accumulation of body fat, causing negative consequences for health. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by the association between abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Experimental models are essential to elucidate the pathophysiology, development, and treatment of the disease. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of man&amp;aacute;-cubiu extract (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) in experimental models of diet-induced MS. Male Wistar rats received a high-fat, high-calorie diet for 24 weeks, with exception of the healthy control group, which received commercial AIN-93 chow, and both groups were supplied with filtered water. After this period, the animals began to receive daily gavages containing 150 mg of extract/kg or 300 mg of extract/kg for another 8 weeks. The control group received only metformin (150mg/kg). Body weight, bioelectrical impedance (BIA), body circumferences and the Lee index were used to assess body composition. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee under protocol n&amp;ordm; 501. The experimental group treated with 150mg/kg of the extract showed weight reduction in the first month of treatment, followed by an average reduction of 54 grams per animal. The group treated with 300mg/kg of the extract suffered weight reduction only after the second month of treatment (on average 9g/animal). This same group and the group treated with metformin were the only ones to reduce the percentage of body fat, comparing the two evaluation moments. The results suggest that man&amp;aacute;-cubiu has a potential therapeutic use in obesity, and that the evaluation methods in animal models need to be better standardized.

Effects of intermittent fasting and physical activity on body mass and intestinal inflammation in rats fed a high-fat diet

Obesity has been linked to increased IBD disease activity, lengthened hospital stays, and a higher risk of developing extraintestinal symptoms, according to studies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate whether intermittent fasting, as well as exercice training on body mass, food intake and intestinal inflammatory in animals feed a high-fat diet. Male wistar rats were used, divided into the following experimental groups: Control Group C (fed with commercial chow), HF group (fed with a high-fat diet), HF + IF Group (fed a high-fat diet associated with Intermittent Fasting), Group C+IF (fed with commercial chow and intermittent fasting) and HF Group +Exercise + IF. The animals were submitted to intermittent fasting protocols of alternate days, in which the animals fasted 24 hours, 3 times a week. A physical activity protocol was applied, where the animals were trained on a programmable treadmill. Body mass and food intake were evaluated weekly and euthanasia and tissue collection were performed at the end of the experiment for morphological evaluation. The results of this study shows that intermittent fasting of alternate days has beneficial effects on adiposity and physiological improvement in the intestine of animals.

109 Effects of Fat-Rich Nutrients in the Pancreas of an Experimental Burn Model

Abstract Introduction Oversupply of nutrients overstimulates beta cells in standard conditions, and severe burn injuries increase the metabolic needs. In this study, we investigated the effects of fat-rich nutrients on the endocrine pancreas during the acute phase of severe burns. Methods Twenty-one Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into 3 groups. Two groups were fed with standard commercial rat chow (1 with sham procedure and 1 with burn procedure), and the third group (also with burn procedure) was fed a fat-rich diet (60% kcal fat). The burn procedure involved a 25% total body surface area fullthickness burn. Blood samples were taken at 36 hours and 7 days after burn injury or sham procedure. On postburn day 7, skin biopsies were taken and a pancreatectomy was performed. Pancreatic tissues were examined under light microscopy; islets size and cellularity were calculated and investigated immunohistochemically. Results Plasma glucose, C-Peptide, and insulin levels were similar in all the study groups 36 hours and 7 days after burn induction or sham procedure. There was a significant increase in the number of cells per one islet in the burn group given a fat-rich diet compared with the other groups (P = .05). Caspase-3 was strongly expressed in both groups with burn injuries. Conclusions Overconsumption of certain fats can lead to a compensatory response by beta cells that eventually can progress to beta-cell dysfunction during the acute phase of burns. Severe burns induce pancreatic islet cell hyperplasia. Providing excessive fat nutrients during the acute postburn period attenuates this response. Despite the morphophysiological changes observed in the pancreas, all animals in our study achieved similar glycemic homeostasis. Applicability of Research to Practice The delivery of nutritional support is a vital element of burn care, and the main goal is simply to avoid nutritional complications. Lipotoxicity contributes to multisystem organ failure and worse clinical outcomes in obese patients and mice with pancreatitis. Neutralization of IL-1β produces beneficial effects on postburn glycemic control and improves survival. apoptosis in the pancreas of patients with severe burns may be linked to a series of events that can induce Caspase-1 activation and IL-1β release, and these pathways may be influenced by the nutritional status, especially in the early postburn phase. Effective nutritional assessment and management can optimize wound healing and decrease complications and mortality.

Effects of Creatine Supplementation on the Myostatin Pathway and Myosin Heavy Chain Isoforms in Different Skeletal Muscles of Resistance-Trained Rats

Creatine has been used to maximize resistance training effects on skeletal muscles, including muscle hypertrophy and fiber type changes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of creatine supplementation on the myostatin pathway and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in the slow- and fast-twitch muscles of resistance-trained rats. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: a sedentary control (Cc), sedentary creatine supplementation (Cr), resistance training (Tc), and resistance training combined with creatine supplementation (Tcr). Cc and Tc received standard commercial chow; Cr and Tcr received a 2% creatine-supplemented diet. Tc and Tcr performed a resistance training protocol on a ladder for 12 weeks. Morphology, MyHC isoforms, myostatin, follistatin, and ActRIIB protein expressions were analyzed in soleus and white gastrocnemius portion samples. The results were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test. Tc and Tcr exhibited higher performance than their control counterparts. Resistance training increased the ratio between muscle and body weight, the cross-sectional area, as well as the interstitial collagen fraction. Resistance training alone increased MyHC IIx and follistatin while reducing myostatin (p &lt; 0.001) and ActRIIB (p = 0.040) expressions in the gastrocnemius. Resistance training induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy and interstitial remodeling, which are more evident in the gastrocnemius muscle. The effects were not impacted by creatine supplementation.

Copaiba oleoresin presents anti-obesogenic effect and mitigates inflammation and redox imbalance in adipose tissue

ABSTRACT Obesogenic diets lead to fat accumulation and dysfunctional adipose tissue. Active compounds were described in copaiba oleoresin, which presents anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. However, there are no data regarding the effects of copaiba oleoresin in adipose tissue. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the copaiba oleoresin could prevent or minimize obesity and adipose tissue inflammation and oxidative stress in response to a high sucrose diet. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to receiving commercial chow (C, n = 8), commercial chow and 30% sucrose added to the drinking water (S, n = 8), or commercial chow and 30% sucrose added to the drinking water + copaiba oleoresin (S+CO, n = 8). Copaiba oleoresin was given at a dose of 200 mg kg-1 day-1 by gavage for eight weeks. C and S animals received vehicle, at equivalent volume, by gavage. At the end of the experiment, blood samples and epididymal adipose tissue were collected for biochemical, inflammatory, and oxidative stress analyses. Copaiba oleoresin supplementation prevented weight gain, adiposity, insulin resistance, and increased IL-1β levels. Additionally, copaiba oleoresin partially attenuated the increase in fasting glucose levels, lipids, and IL-6 levels, and improved the redox status in adipose tissue. Our results suggest that the use of copaiba oleoresin could be a good strategy for prevention of obesity and its complications.

Lactobacillus gasseri RW2014 Ameliorates Hyperlipidemia by Modulating Bile Acid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota Composition in Rats

Hyperlipidemia is a leading risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Dietary supplementation with probiotics has been suggested as an alternative intervention to lower cholesterol. In the current study, we isolated a strain of Lactobacillus gasseri RW2014 (LGA) from the feces of a healthy infant fed with breast milk, and it displayed bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity. Using this strain we determined its cholesterol-lowering and fatty liver-improving functions. SD rats were randomly divided into four groups. The control rats were fed a commercial chow diet and the other three groups were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for a 7-week experiment period. After two weeks of feeding, the rats in PBS, simvastin, and LGA group were daily administered through oral gavage with 2 mL PBS, simvastin (1 mg/mL), and 2 × 109 CFU/mouse live LGA in PBS, respectively. After five weeks of such treatment, the rats were euthanized and tissue samples were collected. Blood lipid and inflammatory factors were measured by ELISA, gut microbiota was determined by 16S rRNA sequencing, and bile acids profiles were detected by metabolomics. We found that LGA group had lower levels of blood cholesterol and liver steatosis compared to the simvastin group. LGA also significantly reducedthe levels of inflammatory factors in the serum, including TNFα, IL-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, and exotoxin (ET), and increased the levels of short-chain fatty acids in feces, including isobutyric acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid. In addition, LGA altered the compositions of gut microbiota as manifested by the increased ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides and the relative abundance of Blautia genus. Targeted metabolomics results showed that bile acids, especially free bile acids and secondary bile acids in feces, were increased in LGA rats compared with the control rats. Accordingly, the rats administrated with LGA also had a higher abundance of serum bile acids, including 23-norcholic acid, 7-ketolithocholic acid, β-muricholic acid, cholic acid, and deoxycholic acid. Together, this study suggests that LGA may exert a cholesterol-lowering effect by modulating the metabolism of bile acids and the composition of gut microbiota.

Effect of Composite Flours of Finger Millet, Bambara Groundnut and ‘Khain’ (Lecaniodiscus Cupanioides) on Blood Glucose Response, Lipids, and Liver Enzymes of Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Aims: This study is aimed at determining the effect of composite flours of Finger millet (Fm), Bambara groundnut (BGN) and ‘Khain’ (Kh) (Lecaniodiscus cupanioides) on the blood glucose response, lipids and liver enzymes levels of alloxan-induced diabetic rats.&#x0D; Study Design: The experiment was designed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Science and Technology and Department of Home Science Nutrition and Dietetics,University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Enugu State. May 2019 and July 2019&#x0D; Methodology: Sixty rats were grouped into ten groups (six rats per group), housed individually in metabolic cages and were fed commercial rat chow for two weeks. After inducement with alloxan, eight groups of diabetic rats were fed with the composite flours [FK1 (95% Fm/5% Kh), FK2 (90% Fm/10% Kh), FB1K1 (95% [90% Fm/10% BGN]/5% Kh), FB1K2 (90% [90% Fm/10% BGN]/10% Kh), FB2K1 (95% [80% Fm/20%bBGN]/5% Kh), FB2K2 (90% [80% Fm/20% BGN]/10% Kh), FB3K1 (95% [70% Fm/30% BGN]/5% Kh), FB3K2 (90% [70% Fm/30% BGN]/10% Kh)] for four weeks while the two control (positive and negative) groups continued on commercial rat chow for four weeks also. The blood glucose response, blood lipids, total serum protein, albumin, urea, creatinine content, and liver enzymes were determined in the rats. The flours of Finger millet, Bambara groundnut and ‘Khain’ were analyzed for dietary fibre (DF) and phytochemical content.&#x0D; Results: The total DF was higher (12.615 %) in finger millet and lower (5.375 %) in BGN. Khain had a value of 10.31 % total DF. Phenol content of samples ranged from 37.99 mg/100g for khain seed flour to 36.09 mg/100g in finger millet and tannin content of the samples ranged from 2.22 - 2.28 mg/100g. The diabetic rats groups fed with composite flours had significant (p&lt;0.05) reduced blood glucose levels (60-86 %) compared to the positive control group (35 %), significantly reduced liver enzymes levels were observed in blood of diabetic rats groups fed with composite flours when compared to positive control group, diabetic rats groups fed with composite flours also showed weight loss, Total Cholesterol values of 149.62 – 235.3mg/dl, Triglycerides (97.96 – 153.72mg/dl), High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (46.91 – 72.53mg/dl) and Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (73.45 – 153.38mg/dl) values. Urea and creatinine values of the diabetic rats groups fed with composite flours were within acceptable range.&#x0D; Conclusion: The reduced blood glucose and liver enzymes levels in blood of diabetic rats fed with composite flours showed that composite flours of Finger millet, Bambara groundnut and ‘Khain’ have the potentials to be used as dietetics for the prevention and management of hyperglycemia.

Successes and limitations of quantitative diet metabarcoding in a small, herbivorous mammal.

DNA metabarcoding is widely used to determine wild animal diets, but whether this technique provides accurate, quantitative measurements is still under debate. To test our ability to accurately estimate the abundance of dietary items using metabarcoding, we fed wild-caught desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida) diets consisting of constant amounts of juniper (Juniperus osteosperma, 15%) and varying amounts of creosote (Larrea tridentata, 1%-60%), cactus (Opuntia sp., 0%-100%) and commercial chow (0%-85%). Using metabarcoding, we compared the representation of items in the original diet samples to that in the faecal samples to test the sensitivity and accuracy of diet metabarcoding, the performance of different bioinformatic pipelines and our ability to correct sequence counts. Metabarcoding, using standard trnL primers, detected creosote, juniper and chow. Different pipelines for assigning taxonomy performed similarly. While creosote was detectable at dietary proportions as low as 1%, we failed to detect cactus in most samples, probably due to a primer mismatch. Creosote read counts increased as its proportion in the diet increased, and we could differentiate when creosote was a minor and major component of the diet. However, we found that estimates of juniper and creosote varied. Using previously suggested methods to correct these errors did not improve accuracy estimates of creosote, but did reduce error for juniper and chow. Our results indicate that metabarcoding can provide quantitative information on dietary composition, but may be limited. We suggest that researchers use caution when quantitatively interpreting diet metabarcoding results unless they first experimentally determine the extent of possible biases.

Oral and Injected Tamoxifen Alter Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Female and Male Mice.

Inducible Cre recombinase facilitates temporal control of genetic recombination in numerous transgenic model systems, a feature which has made it a popular tool for adult neurogenesis studies. One of the most common forms of inducible Cre, CreERT2, requires activation by the selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen (TAM) to initiate recombination of LoxP-flanked sequences. To date, most studies deliver TAM via intraperitoneal injection. But the introduction of TAM-infused commercial chows has recently expanded the possible modes of TAM delivery. Despite the widespread use of TAM-inducible genetic models in adult neurogenesis research, the comparative efficiency and off-target effects of TAM administration protocols is surprisingly infrequently studied. Here, we compare a standard, 5 d TAM injection regimen with voluntary consumption of TAM-infused chow. First, we used adult NestinCreERT2;Rosa-LoxP-STOP-LoxP-EYFP reporter mice to show that two weeks of TAM chow and 5 d of injections led to LoxP recombination in a similar phenotypic population of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) in the adult dentate gyrus. However, TAM chow resulted in substantially less overall recombination than injections. TAM administration also altered adult neurogenesis, but in different ways depending on administration route: TAM injection disrupted neural progenitor cell proliferation three weeks after TAM, whereas TAM chow increased neuronal differentiation of cells generated during the diet period. These findings provide guidance for selection of TAM administration route and appropriate controls in adult neurogenesis studies using TAM-inducible Cre mice. They also highlight the need for better understanding of off-target effects of TAM in other neurologic processes and organ systems.

Iron deposition in the liver and guts of giant South American freshwater turtle Podocnemis expansa (Schweigger 1812) from a commercial breeding farm in Acre, Brazil

Wildlife turtles are endangered species because of the traditional capture of eggs and adult animals in Northern Brazil, such as the South American freshwater turtles (Podocnemis expansa). Successful conservation efforts in order to keep them in captivity and fed commercial fish chow may lead to physiological changes and systemic pathologies. Thus, in the present study, were evaluated the liver and digestive tract of 14 giant South American freshwater turtles microscopically and described the histopathological changes related from commercial breeding and captivity. There was the presence of ferric ions in the stomach epithelium and macrophages with ferric beads in crypts and intestinal villi. In the liver, it was observed disruption of hepatic architecture and liver hemosiderosis. There was the presence of large melano-macrophage centers (MC) filled with ferric ions throughout the liver parenchyma. The size of MC ranged from 25.3 x 31.3 μm up to 196.7 x 168.7 μm and occupied between 9.0 ± 2.9% and 37.5 ± 9.8% of the liver parenchyma area. Those findings can be influenced by age, malnourishment, or ammonia intoxication with posterior anemia, but all those hypotheses must be tested in the future.

Litter expansion alters metabolic homeostasis in a sex specific manner.

Nutritional manipulations early in life have been shown to influence growth rate and elicit long lasting effects which in turn has been found to impact lifespan. Therefore, we studied the long-term effects of pre-weaning dietary restriction implemented by litter expansion (4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 pups per dam: LS4, LS6, LS8, LS10, LS12) on male and female C57BL/6J mice. After weaning, these mice were fed ad libitum a commercial lab chow for the 15-month duration of the study. The male mice from large litter size (LS12) were significantly leaner and had reduced total fat mass compared to the normal size litters (LS 6) starting from weaning through to 15 months of age. Male LS10 & 12 mice also showed significant reduction in their fat depot masses at 15 months of age: gonadal, subcutaneous, and brown fat whereas the females did not mimic these findings. At 9 months of age, only male LS12 mice showed improved glucose tolerance and male LS12 mice also showed improved insulin tolerance starting at 5 months of age. In addition, we found that the male LS8, 10 & 12 mice at 15 months of age showed significantly reduced IGF-1 levels in the serum and various other organs (liver, gastrocnemius and brain cortex). Interestingly, the female LS8, 10, 12 mice showed a different pattern with reduced IGF-1 levels in serum, liver and gastrocnemius but not in the brain cortex. Similarly, the litter expanded mice showed sex specific response to levels of FGF21 and adiponectin with only the male mice showing increased FGF21 and adiponectin levels at 15 months of age. In summary, our data show that, litter expansion results in long-lasting metabolic changes that are age and sex dependent with the male mice showing an early and robust response compared to female mice.

Immunomodulatory Effect of Pinus Armandi Franch Seed Oil

Pinus armandi franch is a special local plant in China and its seed oil is a nice resource of linoleic acid (LA) and linolenic acid. This study investigated the effects of enriching the mouse diet with the ω-6 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), LA (18:2 ω-6) and α-linolenic acid (18:3 ω-3) different ratios (ω-6/ω-3) on total lipids in Pinus armandi franch seed oil (PAFO), and immune evaluation indexes in plasma, lymph nodes, and spleen from isolated immune cells. Kunming mice were fed a commercial chow. PAFO with a certain ratio (ω-6/ω-3) could promote the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes induced by ConA in mice and the optimal ratio was 4 or 6. PAFO with different ratios (ω-6/ω-3) could increase the spleen index and thymus index and there were significant differences between PAFO group and control group (p &lt; 0.01). The results indicate that the ratio of ω-6 PUFA: ω-3 PUFA is 4 or 6 improve some of the indices of the mice immune status and that a moderate increase in the level of ω-6 PUFA in the mice diet does not suppress the immune system.

Palatable high-fat diet intake influences mnemonic and emotional aspects in female rats in an estrous cycle-dependent manner.

Worldwide, the excessive consumption of fat and/or sugar has increased considerably. Palatablehigh-fat diets (HFDs) lead to metabolic disturbances and obesity, and impact emotional and cognitive processes. Previous studies in rodent models suggested that HFDs often cause multiple behavioral alterations, such as learning and memory deficits, and anxiety-like behaviors. Different sexes imply different behavioral and cognitive abilities; yet, most of these studies dealt with male or ovariectomized rats. We evaluated HFD effects in female rats submitted to different behavioral tasks, considering the effects of endogenous hormonal variations throughout estrous cycle. Female Wistar rats in each phase of the estrous cycle using commercial chow (CC) or HFD for 32days. During treatment, behavioral assessments using sucrose preference (SP), elevated plus-maze (EPM), open field (OF) and novel-object recognition (NOR). At the end of the behavioral tests, animals were euthanized, and performed an immunohistochemical analysis of the brains by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The main results demonstrated that (1) HFD-fed rats had higher body mass gain and food intake, without altering caloric intake, (2) rats in diestrus had lower sucrose intake, (3) females in metestrus and diestrus showed deficits in the novel-object recognition memory. Furthermore, TH-immunoreactivity decreased in the dorsal striatum and BDNF in the hippocampus in HFD-fed females. These results suggest that HFD alters neurochemical and metabolic aspects that may induce phase-dependent behavioral changes in female rats.

Biochemical effects of Short–long Term Extensive Administration of Monosodium Glutamate and Soybean on Wistar Rats

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of prolonged and excessive consumption of soybean and monosodium glutamate on blood glucose, insulin, and liver function. The quantitative and qualitative determination of oestrogen-like compounds was carried out by chromatography. A total of two hundred and ten (210) Wistar rats (70 – 78g) were divided equally into three groups representing the various experimental durations (2, 4, and 6 months). Each of these groups was further sub-divided equally into fourteen (14) subgroups (7 groups for male rats and 7 groups for female rats). Out of the 7 groups for both the male and female rats, a group represented the control rats only fed commercial rat chow and water, whereas the rest were orally administered any of the 1000 mg/kg b.w (low dose), 2000 mg/kg b.w (medium dose), or 3000 mg/kg b.w (high dose) of aqueous extract of monosodium glutamate or soybean. Diadezein (42.63 mg/100g), and genistein (28.49 mg/100g) were the two most abundant oestrogen-like compounds. After 6 months administration the high dose (H.D) MSG and soybean, significantly altered the blood glucose and insulin levels of both the male and female rats. The liver enzymes levels of the female rats were significantly elevated after 2 months of administration of H.D MSG and soybeans. All the doses of soybean administered for 6 months significantly elevated the liver enzyme levels compared to the control. The administration of H.D MSG for 4 and 6 months significantly increased the total bilirubin levels of female rats while no significant changes were observed following soybeans administration. For the male rats, no significant changes were observed on the total bilirubin levels after the administration soybeans, whereas H.D MSG for 2 months significantly increased the total bilirubin levels (12.00 µmol/l) compared to the control (8.60 µmol/l). This study has shown that regardless of the presence of medicinal compounds in soybeans, excessive prolonged intake compromises the functional integrity of the liver while MSG even at minimal doses poses serious health risks.

Evidence of multiple hepatic mechanisms to mobilize docosahexaenoic acid into dam plasma during pregnancy in chow-fed sprague dawley rats

Fetal brain growth requires considerable amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during late pregnancy that is associated with increased maternal/dam plasma levels of PC 16:0_22:6 (palmitoyl docosahexaenoyl phosphatidylcholine). While biosynthesis of DHA during pregnancy is upregulated, the mechanisms responsible for the incorporation of dam DHA into PC 16:0_22:6 are not understood. The present study used a discovery approach combining untargeted lipidomics of plasma and liver (n = 3/group) with semi-targeted qPCR of hepatic gene products (n = 6/group) to identify metabolic pathways related to DHA metabolism, with a hypothesis that an upregulated acyltransferase involved in PC remodeling would be identified. Sprague Dawley rats were fed a commercial rodent chow throughout the study and samples were collected before pregnancy (baseline), at 15 and 20 days of pregnancy, and 7 days postpartum. Plasma and hepatic PC 16:0_22:6 was significantly increased (by 79% and 194%, respectively) at day 20 of pregnancy. An increase in hepatic DG (diacylglycerol) 16:0_22:6 (by 243%) and significant decreases in Pla2G15 (0.4-fold) and Pla2G16 (0.6-fold) at day 20 of pregnancy, no changes in Lpcat1–4, and an abundant pool of hepatic pool PE (phosphatidylethanolamine) 16:0_22:6 suggest that plasma PC 16:0_22:6 is not being produced by fatty acyl remodeling during pregnancy. The increase in plasma PC 16:0_22:6 during pregnancy appears to be due to an increase in de novo synthesis of PC and both the CDP-choline and phosphatidylcholine methyltransferase pathways are implicated. There was also evidence suggesting channeling of DHA into PC and lipoprotein assembly may be occurring. Targeted research is necessary to confirm these findings, but the results of this study indicate metabolic adaptions to enable maternal/dam resiliency towards meeting the fetal/pup demand for DHA during pregnancy.

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF COCONUT OIL ON SOME BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN ALBINO RATS

Coconut oil from coconut kernel is a source of natural cooking oil for most people in tropical countries. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of coconut oil on some biochemical, haematological and histological parameters in albino rats. Two phases of experiment with four groups of male albino rats each consisting of five rats weighing about 180 – 200 g were used for this study. Phase 1 of the experiment involves feeding of albino rats with commercial rodent chow mixed with coconut oil, coconut oil supplemented diet (COSD) while phase 2 experimental rats were treated with coconut oil orally. Group 1 served as the control for both phases of treatment, groups 2, 3 and 4 were treated with 3 ml/kg, 6 ml/kg and 12 ml/kg of COSD and coconut oil respectively for 4 weeks. Result of both phases of experiment showed significant increase (p≤0.05) in serum concentrations of AST, ALP and ALT levels. Also, the result showed that the levels of urea and creatinine decreased significantly when compared with the control group. Haematological results showed that levels of haemoglobin and PCV for both phases of treatment decreased significantly (p≤0.05) compared with the control group. Total protein for COSD treatment phase showed a significant increase while total protein for coconut oil (CO) oral administration treatment phase decreased significantly for only group 4 albino rats when compared with control. Histopathological results showed normal liver hepatocytes in the treated albino rats except for some albino rats with microvesicular steatosis. This study has also shown that coconut oil within the dosage administered cause mild inflammation of the liver in some of the albino rats.