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Leucine supplementation at the onset of high-fat feeding does not prevent weight gain or improve glycemic regulation in male Sprague-Dawley rats

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Abstract

Obesity is a major public health concern and it is essential to identify effective treatments and preventative strategies to stop continued increases in obesity rates. The potential functional roles of the branched chain amino acid leucine make this amino acid an attractive candidate for the treatment and/or prevention of obesity. The objective of this study was to determine if long-term leucine supplementation could prevent the development of obesity and reduce the risk factors for chronic disease in rats fed a high-fat (60 % fat) diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 30 per dietary treatment) were meal-fed (3 meals/day) either a control, low-fat diet (LF), control + leucine (LFL), high-fat (HF), or high-fat + leucine (HFL) for 42 days. On day 42, rats were sacrificed at 0, 30, or 90 min postprandial. Animals fed the HF and HFL diets had higher (P < 0.05) final body weights and weight gain compared to animals fed the LF and LFL diets. Leucine supplementation increased epididymal fat mass (P < 0.05) and decreased muscle mass (P < 0.05). There was no effect of leucine supplementation on postprandial glucose or insulin response. However, there was a significant effect (P < 0.05) of diet and time on free fatty acid concentrations. There was no effect of leucine on muscle markers of protein synthesis (4E-BP1, p70S6K) or energy metabolism (Akt, AMPK). Leucine supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) PGC1α expression and increased (P < 0.05) PPARγ expression in skeletal muscle. In conclusion, long-term leucine supplementation does not prevent weight gain, improve body composition, or improve glycemic control in rats fed a high-fat diet.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Elisabet Borsheim from the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock, AR for allowing us to use the GC/MS for amino acid analysis. We would also like to thank Mr. Matthew Cotter from the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock, AR for his assistance in preparing samples for amino acid analysis. The work was supported by a grant from the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI), Little Rock, AR. ABI supplied the funds to complete the study but was not involved in the design, implementation, analysis, or interpretation of the data. This work was also supported, in part, by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agricultural hatch project.

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Correspondence to Jamie I. Baum.

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Baum, J.I., Washington, T.A., Shouse, S.A. et al. Leucine supplementation at the onset of high-fat feeding does not prevent weight gain or improve glycemic regulation in male Sprague-Dawley rats. J Physiol Biochem 72, 781–789 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13105-016-0516-2

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