Caffeoylquinic acid-rich extract from chicory seeds improves glycemia, atherogenic index, and antioxidant status in rats

Abstract

Objective: Comparison of the effects of a high-fructose diet supplemented with rutin, a phenolic compound with well-recognized bioavailability and bioactivity, and a chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) seed extract rich in caffeoylquinic acids (CQA) on gut physiology and the development of disorders related to metabolic syndrome.

Methods: A 28-d experiment was conducted on 32 young male Wistar rats. In comparison with control rats fed a standard corn starch diet (group C), the experimental group (group E) was fed a diet with an increased content of cholesterol and fructose (to 1% and 66% of the diet, respectively), as well as with oxidized soybean oil. Rats from the other two experimental groups were administered the same diet as group E during the first 2 wk of feeding, whereas at the beginning of the last 2 wk, the diet was enriched with rutin (group ER) or the CQA-rich ethanol extract from chicory seeds (9.6% of CQA, group EC), so the amount of added phenolics was equal in both dietary groups (0.15%).

Results: The diet administered in group E caused hyperglycemia and increased blood serum atherogenicity in rats, but did not induce other manifestations of the metabolic syndrome, i.e., dyslipidemia and oxidative stress. Additionally, it affected gut physiology through increasing mucosal sucrase activity and disturbing fermentative processes in the cecum, such as the production of short-chain fatty acids and the activity of microbial enzymes. Similarly to rutin, the dietary addition of the chicory seed extract improved glycemia, which was comparable to that determined in group C. In addition, the extract was found to decrease the atherogenic index to the level observed in group C and to increase blood antioxidant status. Both dietary supplements reduced the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in kidney and heart tissue when compared with group E.

Conclusion: The potential efficacy of the CQA-rich extract from chicory seeds in improving diet-induced metabolic disturbances proved to be better than that of rutin; thus, the extract might be considered as a dietary supplement for carrying out clinical trials.