Immoderate fat accumulation causes both oxidative stress and inflammation, which can induce kidney damage in obesity. Previously, Ecklonia cava has shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. Our group aimed to investigate whether E. cava polyphenol extract (ECPE) improves renal damage in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice through regulation of not only energy metabolism but also oxidative stress and inflammation. After obesity induction by HFD, the mice were treated with different dosages of ECPE (100 or 500 mg/kg/day) by gavage for 12 weeks. ECPE treatment lowered the protein levels related to lipid accumulation (SREBP1c, ACC & FAS), inflammation (NLRP3 inflammasome, NFκB, MCP-1, TNF-α & CRP), and oxidative stress (Nrf2, HO-1, MnSOD, NQO1, GPx, 4-HNE and protein carbonyls) in HFD induced obese mice. Moreover, ECPE supplementation significantly up-regulated renal SIRT1, PGC-1α, and AMPK, which are associated with renal energy metabolism. Consequently, the results provide novel insights into the anti-inflammatory roles of ECPE in obesity-induced renal inflammation.
Keywords: E. cava polyphenol extract; inflammation; kidney damage; obesity; oxidative stress.