The effects of high-fat diets composed of different animal and vegetable fat sources on the health status and tissue lipid profiles of male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the impact of high-fat diets composed of different animal and vegetable fat sources on serum metabolic health markers in Japanese quail, as well as the overall lipid content and fatty acid profiles of the edible bird tissues following significantly increased dietary lipid supplementation. METHODS: Fifty seven male quail were divided into six groups and fed either a standard diet or a diet enriched with one of five different fats (22% coconut oil, lard, palm oil, soybean oil, or sunflower oil) for 12 weeks. The birds were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test following the feeding period, after which they were euthanized and blood, liver, breast, and thigh muscle samples collected. Total fat content and fatty acid profiles of the tissue samples, as well as serum uric acid, triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, aspartate transaminase, and total bilirubin concentrations were assessed. RESULTS: High-fat diet feeding had no significant effects on the glucose tolerance of the birds. Dietary fatty acid profiles of the added fats were reflected in the lipid profiles of both the liver and breast and thigh muscle tissues, indicating successful transfer of dietary fatty acids to the edible bird tissues. The significantly increased level of lipid inclusion in the diets of the quail used in the present study was unsuccessful in increasing the overall lipid content of the edible bird tissues. Serum metabolic health markers in birds on the high-fat diets were not significantly different from those observed in birds on the standard diet. CONCLUSION: Thus, despite the various high-fat diets modifying the fatty acid profile of the birds' tissues, unlike in most mammals, the birds maintained a normal health status following consumption of the various high-fat diets.

Suppression of Caco-2 and HEK-293 cell proliferation by Kigelia africana, Mimusops zeyheri and Ximenia caffra seed oils.

Animal-derived oils and purified fatty acids, but not indigenous fruit-tree-derived seed oils, have been used to study cell growth and differentiation. In this study, we determined the effects of the Kigelia africana, the Mimusops zeyheri and the Ximenia caffra seed-oil on cell proliferation in culture. Human colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) and human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells were maintained and treated with various concentrations (0, 20, 40, 80, 100 and 120 mg/l) of K. africana, M. zehyeri and X. caffra seed oil. The trypan blue dye exclusion method was used to determine cell growth 48-hours after oil treatment. All three tree seed oils suppressed both Caco-2 and HEK-293 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, the tree seed oils did not cause increased cell death as the number of dead cells remained unchanged under control and oil-treated conditions. K. africana oil significantly suppressed Caco-2 cell growth compared to HEK-293 cell growth at all oil concentrations, whereas M. zeyheri and X. caffra seed oils significantly suppressed HEK-293 and Caco-2 cell growth, only at a concentration of 80 mg/l. The suppression of Caco-2 and HEK-293 cell proliferation by K. africana, M. zeyheri and X. caffra seed oils suggest a potential antiproliferative effect of these tree seed oils on the two cell lines.