Dietary supplementation with chitosan derived from mushrooms changes adipocytokine profile in diet-induced obese mice, a phenomenon linked to its lipid-lowering action

Int Immunopharmacol. 2009 Jun;9(6):767-73. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2009.02.015. Epub 2009 Mar 13.

Abstract

Recent data reported that chitosan reduces high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity in mice without describing the metabolic consequences of such an effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of chitosan derived from edible mushrooms to modify adipocytokine levels and to assess the relevance of this effect on the development of fat mass, and on glucose and lipid metabolism in obese mice. Mice were fed a HF diet or a HF diet supplemented with 5% fungal chitosan for ten weeks. HF-induced hypertriglyceridaemia, fasting hyperinsulinaemia and fat accumulation in liver, muscle and white adipose tissue (WAT) were reduced after chitosan treatment. The higher lipid content in the caecum following treatment with chitosan suggested that this dietary fiber reduced lipid absorption. We postulated that the lower triglyceridaemia observed upon chitosan treatment could also be the result of the lower FIAF (fasting-induced adipose factor) expression observed in visceral adipose tissue. IL-6, resistin and leptin levels decreased in the serum after chitosan supplementation. We conclude that fungal chitosan counteracts some inflammatory disorders and metabolic alterations occurring in diet-induced obese mice since it decreases feed efficiency, fat mass, adipocytokine secretion and ectopic fat deposition in the liver and the muscle.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipokines / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Adipokines / metabolism
  • Agaricales / chemistry*
  • Angiopoietin-Like Protein 4
  • Angiopoietins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Angiopoietins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / pharmacology
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Chemokine CCL2 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Chemokine CCL2 / metabolism
  • Chitosan / administration & dosage*
  • Chitosan / chemistry
  • Diet
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Insulin / blood
  • Interleukin-6 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Interleukin-6 / metabolism
  • Leptin / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Leptin / metabolism
  • Lipids / blood
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Obese
  • Muscles / drug effects
  • Muscles / metabolism
  • Muscles / pathology
  • Obesity / diet therapy*
  • Obesity / pathology
  • Resistin / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Resistin / metabolism

Substances

  • Adipokines
  • Angiopoietin-Like Protein 4
  • Angiopoietins
  • Angptl4 protein, mouse
  • Anticholesteremic Agents
  • Chemokine CCL2
  • Insulin
  • Interleukin-6
  • Leptin
  • Lipids
  • Resistin
  • Chitosan