Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) extract treatment improves triglyceridemia, liver cholesterol, liver steatosis, oxidative damage and corticosteronemia in rats rendered obese by high fat diet

• Published in: European journal of nutrition Vol. 57; no. 5; pp. 1829 - 1844
• Main Authors: Peixoto, Thamara C., Moura, Egberto G., de Oliveira, Elaine, Soares, Patrícia N., Guarda, Deysla S., Bernardino, Dayse N., Ai, Xu Xue, Rodrigues, Vanessa da S. T., de Souza, Gabriela Rodrigues, da Silva, Antonio Jorge Ribeiro, Figueiredo, Mariana S., Manhães, Alex C., Lisboa, Patrícia C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-08-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Animals; Antioxidants; Body mass; Brazil; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - metabolism; Diet, High-Fat; Fatty Liver; Fatty-acid synthase; Food intake; Glucocorticoids; High fat diet; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipid peroxidation; Liver; Liver - metabolism; Male; Mice; Nutrition; Obesity; Obesity - drug therapy; Original Contribution; Oxidative stress; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reactive oxygen species; Rodents; Steatosis; Vaccinium macrocarpon; Vaccinium macrocarpon - chemistry; Brazil; Obesity; Oxidative stress; Lipids; Corticosterone; Cranberry extract; High fat diet
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-017-1467-2

Purpose
Obese individuals have higher production of reactive oxygen species, which leads to oxidative damage. We hypothesize that cranberry extract (CE) can improve this dysfunction in HFD-induced obesity in rats since it has an important antioxidant activity. Here, we evaluated the effects of CE in food intake, adiposity, biochemical and hormonal parameters, lipogenic and adipogenic factors, hepatic morphology and oxidative balance in a HFD model.
Methods
At postnatal day 120 (PN120), male Wistar rats were assigned into two groups: (1) SD (
n
 = 36) fed with a standard diet and (2) HFD (
n
 = 36), fed with a diet containing 44.5% (35.2% from lard) energy from fat. At PN150, 12 animals from SD and HFD groups were killed while the others were subdivided into four groups (
n
 = 12/group): animals that received 200 mg/kg cranberry extract (SD CE, HFD CE) gavage/daily/30 days or water (SD, HFD). At PN180, animals were killed.
Results
HFD group showed higher body mass and visceral fat, hypercorticosteronemia, higher liver glucocorticoid sensitivity, cholesterol and triglyceride contents and microsteatosis. Also, HFD group had higher lipid peroxidation (plasma and tissues) and higher protein carbonylation (liver and adipose tissue) compared to SD group. HFD CE group showed lower body mass gain, hypotrygliceridemia, hypocorticosteronemia, and lower hepatic cholesterol and fatty acid synthase contents. HFD CE group displayed lower lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation (liver and adipose tissue) and accumulation of liver fat compared to HFD group.
Conclusion
Although adiposity was not completely reversed, cranberry extract improved the metabolic profile and reduced oxidative damage and steatosis in HFD-fed rats, which suggests that it can help manage obesity-related disorders.