Citral effect in male NMRI mice nonalcoholic steatosis model: assessing biochemical and histological parameters and PPARα gene expression

Citral is a small molecule present in various citrus species, with reported anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-inflammation effects. Here, the effect of intraperitoneal (IP) administration of citral is evaluated in a mouse model of non-alcoholic steatosis. Male NMRI mice were divided into the following groups (n = 12): normal control group (NC) receiving a normal diet; high-fat emulsion group (HF) receiving high fat diet for four weeks; positive control group (C+) receiving HF diet for four weeks and then shifted to normal diet with IP-administered silymarin (80 mg/kg) for four weeks; sham group receiving HF diet for four weeks and then shifted to normal diet for four weeks; and EC1, EC2, and EC3 groups receiving HF diet for four weeks and then shifted to normal diet with IP-administered citral doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg, respectively. HF diet resulted in steatohepatitis with impaired lipid profile, high glucose levels and insulin resistance, impaired liver enzymes, antioxidants, adiponectin and leptin levels, decreased PPARα level, and fibrosis in the liver tissue. Upon treatment with citral, improvement in condition was observed in a dose-dependent manner-both at histological level and in the serum of treated animals. and the PPARα level was also increased.

Potential role of marine algae extract on 3T3-L1 cell proliferation and differentiation: an in vitro approach

BACKGROUND: From ancient times, marine algae have emerged as alternative medicine and foods, contains the rich source of natural products like proteins, vitamins, and secondary metabolites, especially Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) contains numerous anti-inflammatory, antioxidants and wound healing substances. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is closely associated with adipogenesis and their factors. Hence, we aimed to investigate the chemical constituents and adipo-genic modulatory properties of C. vulgaris in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. RESULTS: We analysed chemical constituents in ethanolic extract of C. vulgaris (EECV) by LC-MS. Results revealed that the EECV contains few triterpenoids and saponin compounds. Further, the effect of EECV on lipid accumulation along with genes and proteins expressions which are associated with adipogenesis and lipogenesis were evaluated using oil red O staining, qPCR and western blot techniques. The data indicated that that EECV treatment increased differentiation and lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells, which indicates positive regulation of adipogenic and lipogenic activity. These increases were associated with up-regulation of PPAR-γ2, C/EBP-α, adiponectin, FAS, and leptin mRNA and protein expressions. Also, EECV treatments increased the concentration of glycerol releases as compared with control cells. Troglitazone is a PPAR-γ agonist that stimulates the PPAR-y2, adiponectin, and GLUT-4 expressions. Similarly, EECV treatments significantly upregulated PPAR-γ, adiponectin, GLUT-4 expressions and glucose utilization. Further, EECV treatment decreased AMPK-α expression as compared with control and metformin treated cells. CONCLUSION: The present research findings confirmed that the EECV effectively modulates the lipid accumulation and differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells through AMPK-α mediated signalling pathway.

Hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and α-mRNA expression in HCV-infected adults is decreased by HIV co-infection and is also affected by ethnicity

OBJECTIVE: To determine peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α and γ mRNA expression in liver tissue of hepatitis C virus-infected patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus and its possible contribution to an acceleration of liver disease progression. METHODS: We measured peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and γ mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction in liver tissues from 40 subjects infected only with hepatitis C virus, 36 subjects co-infected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus and 11 normal adults. RESULTS: Hepatic mRNA expression of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors was significantly lower in hepatitis C virus-infected subjects with and without human immunodeficiency virus co-infection compared to the controls. Non-black race was also identified as a predictor of lower peroxisome receptor α and γ mRNA expression. Compared to subjects infected only with hepatitis C virus, liver peroxisome receptor γ mRNA expression was significantly lower in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus-co-infected subjects (0.0092 in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus-co-infection vs. 0.0120 in hepatitis C virus-only; p=0.004). Hepatic peroxisome receptor α mRNA expression in the hepatitis C virus-infected patients was lower in the presence of human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in non-black subjects (0.0769 vs. 0.1061; p=0.02), whereas the levels did not vary based on human immunodeficiency virus status among black subjects. CONCLUSION: mRNA expression of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors is impaired in hepatitis C virus-infected liver and further reduced by human immunodeficiency virus co-infection, although the suppressive effects of the viruses are substantially mitigated in black patients.

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.

Distribution and genotype frequency of the C1431T and pro12ala polymorphisms of the peroxisome proliferator activator receptor gamma gene in an Iranian population.

BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator activator receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a nuclear transcription factor regulating multiple genes involved in cell growth, differentiation, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and energy production. Several genetic variations in the PPARγ gene have been identified to be associated with diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease. The present study was designed to explore the distribution of two common single nucleotide polymorphisms of the PPARγ gene (C1431T and Pro12Ala) in an Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genotype frequencies for these two polymorphisms were compared for 160 healthy Iranian individuals with reports from other populations. The Genotyping was performed using real‑time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The genotype distribution of the C1431T PPARγ polymorphism was 0.869 for the CC genotype, 0.119 for the CT genotype and 0.013 for uncommon TT genotype. Allelic frequencies were 0.93 for C and 0.07 for T allele respectively. For the Pro12Ala polymorphism of PPARγ gene, genotypic distributions and allelic frequencies were, 0.813 for CC, 0.181 for CG and 0.06 for GG and 0.903 for C and 0.097 for G respectively. Allelic and genotypic frequencies for both polymorphisms of PPARγ gene were in Hardy‑Weinberg equilibrium. CONCLUSIONS: Iran is a country with an ethnically diverse population and a comparison of allelic and genotypic frequencies of PPARγ C1431T and Pro12Ala polymorphisms between our population and others showed significant differences.