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Omega-3 PUFA of marine origin limit diet-induced obesity in mice by reducing cellularity of adipose tissue

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Lipids

Abstract

Omega-3 PUFA of marine origin reduce adiposity in animals fed a high-fat diet. Our aim was to learn whether EPA and DHA could limit development of obesity and reduce cellularity of adipose tissue and whether other dietary FA could influence the effect of EPA/DHA. Weight gain induced by composite high-fat diet in C57BL/6J mice was limited when the content of EPA/DHA was increased from 1 to 12% (wt/wt) of dietary lipids. Accumulation of adipose tissue was reduced, especially of the epididymal fat. Low ratio of EPA to DHA promoted the effect. A higher dose of EPA/DHA was required to reduce adiposity when admixed to diets that did not promote obesity, the semisynthetic high-fat diets rich in EFA, either α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18∶3 n−3, the precursor of EPA and DHA) or linoleic (18∶2 n−6) acid. Quantification of adipose tissue DNA revealed that except for the diet rich in ALA the reduction of epididymal fat was associated with 34–50% depression of tissue cellularity, similar to the 30% caloric restriction in the case of the high-fat composite diet. Changes in plasma markers and adipose gene expression indicated improvement of lipid and glucose metabolism due to EPA/DHA even in the context of the diet rich in ALA. Our results document augmentation of the antiadipogenic effect of EPA/DHA during development of obesity and suggest that EPA/DHA could reduce accumulation of body fat by limiting both hypertrophy and hyperplasia of fat cells. Increased dietary intake of EPA/DHA may be beneficial regardless of the ALA intake.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

α-linolenic acid

CR:

caloric restriction by 30% compared with ad libitum fed mice

HF:

high-fat

cHF diet:

composite high-fat diet

cHF-F1 and cHF-F2:

composite high-fat diets enriched with fish oil concentrate

sHFc:

semisynthetic high-fat diet based on corn oil

HFc-F1, sHFc-F2:

semisynthetic high-fat diets based on corn oil enriched with fish oil concentrate

sHFf:

semisynthetic high-fat diet based on flaxseed oil

sHEf-F1, sHFf-F2:

semisynthetic high-fat diets based on flaxseed oil enriched with fish oil concentrate

NEFA:

nonesterified FA

and sHF diet:

semisynthetic high-fat diet

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Adipose Tissue Biology and Centre for Integrated Genomics, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jana Ruzickova, Martin Rossmeisl, Tomas Prazak, Pavel Flachs, Jana Sponarova & Jan Kopecky

  2. 4th Department of Medicine 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University, 128 08, Prague, Czech Republic

    Marek Vecka & Eva Tvrzicka

  3. Pronova Biocare a.s., N-1327, Lysaker, Norway

    Morten Bryhn

Authors
  1. Jana Ruzickova
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  2. Martin Rossmeisl
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  9. Jan Kopecky
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Correspondence to Jan Kopecky.

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Ruzickova, J., Rossmeisl, M., Prazak, T. et al. Omega-3 PUFA of marine origin limit diet-induced obesity in mice by reducing cellularity of adipose tissue. Lipids 39, 1177–1185 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-004-1345-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-004-1345-9

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