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Effect of high-fat diet on cholesterol metabolism in rats and its association with Na+/K+-ATPase/Src/pERK signaling pathway

Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology [Medical Sciences] volume 35, pages 490–494 (2015)Cite this article

Summary

Abnormal cholesterol metabolism is associated with an elevated risk of developing atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes etc. Na+/K+-ATPase was found to regulate cholesterol synthesis, distribution and trafficking. This study aimed to examine the effect of high-fat diet on cholesterol metabolism in rats and the role of Na+/K+-ATPase/Src/ERK signaling pathway in the process. Forty male SD rats were evenly divided into high-fat diet group and control group at random. Animals in the former group were fed on high-fat diet for 12 weeks, and those fed on basic diet served as control. Blood lipids, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein-cholesteral (LDL-C) levels, were detected at 3, 6 and 12 weeks. The ratio of cholesterol content in cytoplasm to that in cell membrane was detected in liver tissues. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expression of lipid metabolism-associated genes (HMG-CoA reductase and SREBP-2) after 12-week high-fat diet. Na+/K+-ATPase/Src/ERK signaling pathway-related components (Na+/K+-ATPase α1, Src-PY418 and pERK1/2) were also measured by Western blotting. The results showed that the serum TC, TG, and LDL-C levels were significantly higher in high-fat diet group than those in control group, while the HDL-C level was significantly lower in high-fat diet group at 6 weeks (P<0.01). High-fat diet led to an increase in the cholesterol content in the cytoplasm and cell membrane. The ratio of cholesterol content in cytoplasm to that in cell membrane was elevated over time. The expression of HMG-CoA reductase and SREBP-2 was significantly suppressed at mRNA and protein levels after 12-week high-fat diet (P<0.05). Moreover, high-fat diet promoted the expression of Na+/K+-ATPase α1 but suppressed the phosphorylation of Src-PY418 and ERK1/2 at 12 weeks (P<0.05). It was concluded that high-fat diet regulates cholesterol metabolism, and Na+/K+-ATPase signaling pathway is involved in the process possibly by regulating the expression of lipid metabolism-associated proteins HMG-CoA reductase and SREBP-2.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Li Wang

  2. Department of Orthopedics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Fei Xu & Xue-jun Zhang

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Run-ming Jin & Xin Li

Authors
  1. Li Wang
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  2. Fei Xu
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  3. Xue-jun Zhang
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  4. Run-ming Jin
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  5. Xin Li
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Correspondence to Xin Li.

Additional information

This study was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81200637).

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Wang, L., Xu, F., Zhang, Xj. et al. Effect of high-fat diet on cholesterol metabolism in rats and its association with Na+/K+-ATPase/Src/pERK signaling pathway. J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 35, 490–494 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-015-1458-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-015-1458-6

Key words

  • Na+/K+-ATPase
  • cholesterol
  • high-fat diet
  • lipid metabolism-associated genes
  • Na+/K+-ATPase /Src/pERK signaling pathway