Beside oil, oilseed rape (Brassica napus) seeds contains nutritional bioactives such as polyphenols and glucosinolates. However, to date their nutritional properties have been overlooked in the new "double zero" breeds. Seed alcoholic extracts from two B. napus cultivars most contrasting in their phytochemical contents as measured by mass-spectrometry were given to ob-mice. Biological outcomes including clinical metrics, gut and plasma metabolomes, liver transcriptome and metabolome were compared to ob-mice given a similar broccoli extract (Brassica oleracea). One B. napus extract induced a reduction of the oxidative stress indicated by the decrease of plasma isoprostanoids. This was associated to the regulation of the antioxidant stress defense Nrf2 pathway, to 'omic' oxidative stress functions, metabolic and cell process regulations, and the metabolomics microbiota profile. Extracts of B. napus seeds demonstrated health effects that may be improved by selecting appropriate agronomical traits, highlighting the potential benefits of better utilizing agronomy for improved human and animal nutrition.
Keywords: Bioactives; Brassica; Metabolomics; Phytochemicals; Transcriptomics.
© 2021 The Author(s).