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Vitamin C inhibits lipid deposition through GSK-3β/mTOR signaling in the liver of zebrafish

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Abstract

In this study, the mechanism that VC inhibits lipid deposition through GSK-3β/mTOR signaling was investigated in the liver of Danio rerio. The results indicated that 0.5- and 1.0-g/kg VC treatments activated mTOR signaling by inhibiting GSK-3β expression. The mRNA expression of FAS, ACC, and ACL, as well as the content of TG, TC, and NEFA, was decreased by 0.5- and 1.0-g/kg VC treatments. Moreover, to confirm GSK-3β playing a key role in regulating TSC2 and mTOR, GSK-3β RNA was interfered and the activity of GSK-3β was inhibited by 25- and 50-mg/L LiCl treatments, respectively. The results indicated that GSK-3β inactivation played a significant role in inducing mTOR signaling and inhibiting lipid deposition. VC treatments could induce mTOR signaling by inhibiting GSK-3β, and mTOR further participated in regulating lipid deposition by controlling lipid profile in the liver of zebrafish.

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Abbreviations

ACC:

acetyl-CoA carboxylase

ACL:

ATP-citrate lyase

FAS:

fatty acid synthase

GSK-3β:

glycogen synthase kinase-3β

HDL-C:

high density lipoprotein cholesterol

LDL-C:

low density lipoprotein cholesterol

mTOR:

mammalian target of rapamycin

NEFA:

nonesterified fatty acids

Rheb:

Ras homolog enriched in brain

TC:

Total cholesterol ratio

TG:

triglyceride

TSC2:

Tuberous sclerosis 2

VC:

vitamin C

VLDL:

very low density lipoprotein

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Funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong (Grant ZR2016CM18), Key Technology Innovation Project of Shandong Province (Grant No. 2018CXGC0102), Innovation Team Fund Project of Young Xiangsi Lake Scholars of Guangxi University for Nationalities (2018RSCXSHQN02), and Scientific Research Foundation for the Introduced Talents of Guangxi University for Nationalities (2018KJQD14).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, China

    Dongwu Liu, Qilong Shi & Lanlan Zhu

  2. Anti-aging & Regenerative Medicine Research Institution, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, China

    Dongwu Liu, Yaqi Gu, Qiuxiang Pang, Ao Li, Weiwei Wu & Xiuzhen Zhang

  3. Research and Development Office, Sunwin Biotech Shandong Co., Ltd., Weifang, 262737, China

    Qiang Han

  4. College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Weifang Bioengineering Technology Research Center, Weifang University, Weifang, 261061, China

    Hairui Yu

  5. Guangxi Key Laboratory for Polysaccharide Materials and Modifications, Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Utilization of Microbial and Botanical Resources, School of Marine Science and Biotechnology, Guangxi University for Nationalities, Nanning, 530008, China

    Qin Zhang

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  1. Dongwu Liu
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Liu, D., Gu, Y., Pang, Q. et al. Vitamin C inhibits lipid deposition through GSK-3β/mTOR signaling in the liver of zebrafish. Fish Physiol Biochem 46, 383–394 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-019-00727-1

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