Dietary fish oil ameliorates adipose tissue dysfunction in insulin-resistant rats fed a sucrose-rich diet improving oxidative stress, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and uncoupling protein 2

Food Funct. 2018 Apr 25;9(4):2496-2507. doi: 10.1039/c7fo01993a.

Abstract

This work aims to assess the possible beneficial effects of dietary fish oil (FO) on the pre-existing adipose tissue dysfunction through the improvement or reversion of the mechanisms underlying oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines in dyslipemic insulin-resistant rats. Wistar rats were fed a sucrose rich diet (SRD) for 6 months. After that half of the animals continued with the SRD until month 8 while in the other half corn oil was replaced by FO for 2 months (SRD + FO). A reference group consumed a control diet all the time. In an epididymal fat pad, we analyzed antioxidant and oxidant enzyme activities, ROS content, glutathione redox state, the protein level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and the expression and protein levels of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) as well as oxidative stress biomarkers and TNF-α and IL-6 plasma levels. Besides these, insulin sensitivity and the composition of fatty acid phospholipids of adipose tissue were measured. Compared with the SRD the SRD + FO fed group showed a decrease of fat pad weight and the antioxidant and oxidant enzyme activities and ROS content returned to control values along with normal plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels. FO normalized both the decrease of PPARγ protein and the increase of protein and expression of UCP2. Furthermore, FO increased the n-3/n-6 fatty acid ratio in the adipose tissue phospholipids and normalized dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. Finally, these findings reinforce the view that dietary FO may exert a beneficial effect in ameliorating the dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in this animal model.

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Dietary Sucrose / adverse effects*
  • Dietary Sucrose / metabolism
  • Dyslipidemias / diet therapy*
  • Dyslipidemias / etiology
  • Dyslipidemias / genetics
  • Dyslipidemias / metabolism
  • Fish Oils / metabolism*
  • Glutathione / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Insulin Resistance*
  • Interleukin-6 / genetics
  • Interleukin-6 / metabolism
  • Male
  • Oxidative Stress*
  • PPAR gamma / genetics
  • PPAR gamma / metabolism*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Uncoupling Protein 2 / genetics
  • Uncoupling Protein 2 / metabolism*

Substances

  • Dietary Sucrose
  • Fish Oils
  • Insulin
  • Interleukin-6
  • PPAR gamma
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Ucp2 protein, rat
  • Uncoupling Protein 2
  • Glutathione