Dietary Effects of Chromium Picolinate and Chromium Nanoparticles in Wistar Rats Fed with a High-Fat, Low-Fiber Diet: The Role of Fat Normalization

Michał Majewski; Leszek Gromadziński; Ewelina Cholewińska; Katarzyna Ognik; Bartosz Fotschki; Jerzy Juśkiewicz

doi:10.3390/nu14235138

Dietary Effects of Chromium Picolinate and Chromium Nanoparticles in Wistar Rats Fed with a High-Fat, Low-Fiber Diet: The Role of Fat Normalization

Nutrients. 2022 Dec 2;14(23):5138. doi: 10.3390/nu14235138.

Authors

Michał Majewski¹, Leszek Gromadziński², Ewelina Cholewińska³, Katarzyna Ognik³, Bartosz Fotschki⁴, Jerzy Juśkiewicz⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland.
² Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Toxicology, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
⁴ Institute of Animal Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Tuwima 10, 10-748 Olsztyn, Poland.

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate how feeding a high-fat-low-fiber (F) diet to rats and dietary intervention with the implementation of a standard-fat-and-fiber (S) diet affects the response of the cardiovascular system to chromium (III) picolinate (Cr-Pic) and, alternatively, chromium nanoparticles (Cr-NPs). Young male Wistar Han rats (n/group = 12) from either the fatty group (18 weeks on F diet) or the intervention group (9 weeks on F diet + 9 weeks on S diet) received a pharmacologically relevant dose of 0.3 mg Cr/kg body weight in the form of Cr-Pic or Cr-NPs for 9 weeks. Our study on rats confirmed the pro-inflammatory effect of an F diet administered for 18 weeks. In the intervention group, both Cr-Pic and Cr-NPs decreased heart glutathione ratio (GSH+GSSG), enhanced participation of nitric oxide (NO) derived from inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in vascular relaxation to acetylcholine (ACh), increased the vasodilator net effect of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-derived prostanoids, and increased the production of superoxide anion (O₂^.-) in aortic rings. Meanwhile, in the fatty group, there was increased heart superoxide dismutase (SOD), decreased heart catalase (CAT), and reduced sensitivity in pre-incubated aortic rings to endogenous prostacyclin (PGI₂). The factors that significantly differentiated Cr-NPs from Cr-Pic were (i) decreased blood antioxidant capacity of water-soluble compounds (0.75-fold, p = 0.0205), (ii) increased hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production (1.59-fold, p = 0.0332), and (iii) modified vasodilator response due to PGI₂ synthesis inhibition (in the intervention group) vs. modified ACh-induced vasodilator response due to (iv) COX inhibition and v) PGI₂ synthesis inhibition with thromboxane receptor blockage after 18 weeks on F diet (in the fatty group). Our results show that supplementation with Cr-Pic rather than with Cr-NPs is more beneficial in rats who regularly consumed an F diet (e.g., for 18 weeks). On the contrary, in the intervention group (9 weeks on F diet + 9 weeks of dietary fat normalization (the S diet)), Cr-Pic and Cr-NPs could function as pro-oxidant agents, initiating free-radical reactions that led to oxidative stress.

Keywords: 1400 W; NS-398; acetylcholine; chromium (III); dietary intervention; indomethacin; nanoparticles; obesity; thoracic aorta; tranylcypromine.

MeSH terms

Acetylcholine / pharmacology
Animals
Chromium* / pharmacology
Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
Hydrogen Peroxide*
Male
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Vasodilator Agents / pharmacology

Substances

picolinic acid
Chromium
Hydrogen Peroxide
Vasodilator Agents
Acetylcholine

Grants and funding

2020/39/B/NZ9/00674/National Science Center