Diet high in alpha-linolenic acid up-regulate PPAR-gamma gene expression in the liver of goats

Background There is little information on the effects of diets containing high α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) on liver lipid composition and lipogenic gene expressions. In this study fourteen goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) were fed either a flaxseed oil (FSO) supplemented diet containing high α-linolenic acid or a control diet without added flaxseed oil (CON) for 100-d to evaluate the effects on liver lipid composition and the gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR-α) and stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD) in the liver. Results An increase in the levels of C18:3n-3 and C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3, C22:6n-3 was observed in the liver of FSO-treated goats. There was a significant (P < 0.05) up-regulation of PPAR-α gene expression and downregulation of SCD gene in the liver of goats fed the high α-linolenic acid diet. Conclusions In conclusion, genes associated with the control of fatty acid (FA) conversion (SCD and PPAR) were affected by the α-linolenic acid supplementation in the goat diet. It is suggested that PPAR-α is the key messenger responsible for the translation of nutritional stimuli into changes in hepatic gene expression.

Metabolic effects of high sucrose and saturated oil feeding on insulin resistance in Sprague-Dawley rats.

In this study, we explored the effects of long-term consumption of a high-sugar high-fat diet on glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in rats. Rats were fed with either standard rat chow diet (NC group) or high-sugar high-fat diet (HSHF group) for 16 weeks. The HSHF group showed significantly higher fasting insulin level than NC group. Following intraperitoneal glucose challenge, blood glucose and insulin levels in the NC and HSHF groups increased. However, the magnitude of the response in NC group was low compared to HSHF group. Insulin resistance was higher in HSHF group and insulin sensitivity decreased significantly (P <0.05) in HSHF group in contrast to NC group. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels showed significant increase in HSHF group, while triglyceride and total cholesterol levels did not show any difference. The study demonstrated that feeding high-sugar high-fat diet to the experimental Sprague-Dawley rats for 16 weeks increased possibility of insulin resistance in them but did not turn them hyperglycemic or diabetic. Thus, they prove to be a suitable animal model to explore various aspects of insulin resistance.

Fatty acid composition, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the microwave aqueous extract of three varieties of Labisia pumila Benth

BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted in order to evaluate the fatty acid profile, anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial activities from the microwave aqueous extract of the leaves of three different varieties of Labisia pumila Benth. RESULTS: The chemical analysis of the extract showed that fatty acids (palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic) acid as the main components in three varieties of L. pumila leaves. Furthermore, the obtained results of the anti-oxidant revealed that L. pumila var. alata contained higher anti-oxidative activities compared to var. pumila and var. lanceolata. However, these values were lower than the tested anti-oxidant standards. On the other hand, the aqueous leaf extracts in all three varieties of L. pumila were also found to inhibit a variable degree of antibacterial activities against eight bacteria (four Gram-positive and four Gram-negative bacteria). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was observed the leaves of three varieties of L. pumila exhibited variable patterns of fatty acids and the microwave aqueous extraction possess anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial activities.