ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the effects of phytosterol ester (PSE) on the hepatic steatosis and amino acid profile of rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high fat diet. Methods Thirty-one male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group (NC group, n＝7), high fat diet group (HF group, n＝12) and PSE intervention group (PSE＋HF group, n＝12). The rats in the HF and PSE＋HF groups were fed with high-fat diet to establish the NAFLD rat model, and the rats in the PSE＋HF group were continuously intragastrically administered with PSE 0.5 g/kg for 12 weeks. The hepatic steatosis was evaluated with Oil Red O staining, and the serum amino acid profile was analyzed using automatic amino acid analyzer. Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between amino acids and degree of liver steatosis. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was carried out using SIMCA-P 11.5 software. Results There was no significant difference in body mass of rats between the PSE＋HF group and HF group (P0.05). Moreover, there was no significant difference in food intake of rats between the NC, HF and PSE＋HF groups (P0.05). Compared with the HF group, the hepatic steatosis of rats was partly alleviated in the PSE＋HF group. The serum levels of essential amino acids, including isoleucine and leucine, and the non-essential amino acids, including cysteine, aspartate, glutamate and alanine, in the PSE＋HF group were increased by 17.25%, 12.42%, 41.47%, 15.61%, 17.87% and 16.07%, respectively, compared with the HF group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P0.05). The levels of serum NH3 and histidine were significantly decreased in the PSE＋HF group versus the HF group (both P0.05). PLS-DA analysis results showed that HF group and PSE＋HF group could be clustered respectively. Pearson correlation analysis results showed that the levels of histidine, proline and serum NH3 were positively correlated with the degree of hepatic steatosis (all P0.01); and tryptophan, phenylalanine, isoleucine, cysteine, glutamate and the related metabolites, ornithine, were negatively correlated with the degree of hepatic steatosis (all P0.05). Conclusion PSE can regulate the amino acid metabolic profile of rats with NAFLD induced by high fat diet.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To explore the protective effect of phytosterol ester (PSE) on aortic aging in rats.ME-THODS: The female SD rats (12 months old, n=42) were randomly divided into control group, model group and PSE group.During the experiment, the rats in control group, model group and PSE group were treated with basic feed, high-fat diet (HFD) and HFD with 2% PSE (W/W) for 6 months, respectively.The morphological changes of the aorta were observed by HE staining and Masson staining, and the absolute area of smooth muscle cells and collagen fiber in the vascular wall were measured by image analysis.The levels of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the plasma were detected.The expression of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) at mRNA and protein levels in the vascular tissue was determined by real time PCR and Western blot, respectively.RESULTS: PSE significantly lowered plasma TC and LDL-C, and increased plasma HDL-C level (P<0.05), but had no effect on plasma TG level.PSE significantly attenuated the thickening of intima and media of aging aortic, and decreased the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and the amount of VSMC and collagen fiber in the aorta (P<0.05).PSE significantly reduced the contents of AGEs and MDA (P<0.05), but had no effect on the activity of SOD and CAT in the plasma.PSE also down-regulated the expression of PPARγ and up-regulated the expression of SIRT1 (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: PSE is able to attenuate the senescence process in the aorta by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species in plasma, and activating SIRT1, or inhibiting the expression of PPARγ in vascular tissues.
ABSTRACT
To confirm the safety and efficacy of a low-calorie mayonnaise supplemented with phytosterol esters (PEM) at a daily consumption dose of 884 mg given for 12 weeks with the goal of lowering serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, we conducted a double-blind comparative study in healthy adults with marginally high serum levels of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol using a mayonnaise without phytosterol esters supplementation (CM) as the control food. Serum LDL cholesterol levels decreased significantly in the PEM group as compared with the CM group during the 12-week intervention period (136.3 ± 16.4 vs. 145.0 ± 19.3 mg/dL at Week 8 (<i>P</i> < 0.05) and 135.0 ± 17.4 mg/dL vs. 144.9 ± 17.5 mg/dL at Week 12; <i>P</i> < 0.05). No observable adverse effects were observed due to the ingestion of PEM in this study. The safety of PEM was again confirmed by an additional clinical study in which healthy adult subjects ingested a 3-fold greater amount of PEM (2,652 mg of phytosterol esters as a daily dose) for 4 weeks. Thus, we concluded that PEM is effective in lowing serum levels of LDL cholesterol and is safe and well tolerated without any clinical problems.<br>
ABSTRACT
Among “food for specified health use” (FOSHU), approximately 100 are indicated in the treatment of life-style related diseases related to hypercholesterolemia; in the present review we describe the safety and effectiveness of several of these foods.<br>