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Hepatic lipid accumulation is ameliorated in obese KK mice by dietary sei whale oil

Fisheries Science volume 82, pages 509–517 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Whale oil (WO) contains n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), but the effects of whale oil intake on lipid metabolism have remained unclear. We examined the influence of WO on lipid metabolism in obese KK mice. Male KK mice were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks to induce obesity. The mice were then given free access to a different diet for 10 weeks: the lard/safflower oil (LSO) diet consisted of 25 energy% (en%) LSO (6:4), the WO diet consisted of 25 en% WO, and the fish oil (FO) diet consisted of 11 en% FO plus 14 en% LSO. The n-3 PUFA content of the FO diet was the same as that in the WO diet. In the WO and FO groups, the total plasma cholesterol level was significantly decreased compared with that in the LSO group. The number of lipid droplets in liver specimens was also lower in the WO and FO groups, and the hepatic triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were decreased in these groups compared with the LSO group. Hepatic mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, which are fatty acid synthesis-related genes, were decreased in the WO and FO groups. No significant differences were observed between the WO and FO groups. Taken together, these results indicate that WO intake inhibits lipid accumulation in the liver by reducing fatty acid biosynthesis.

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Abbreviations

ACC:

Acyl-coA carboxylase

AOX:

Acyl-CoA oxidase

CPT:

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase

CT:

Computed tomography

CYP7A1:

Cholesterol 7 α-hydroxylase

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

DPA:

Docosapentaenoic acid

d-ROM:

Diacron of reactive oxygen metabolites

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

EPA:

Icosapentaenoic acid

FAS:

Fatty acid synthase

FO:

Fish oil

GK:

Glucokinase

HE:

Hematoxylin-eosin

HDL:

High-density lipoprotein

HMG-CoA:

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A

LSO:

Lard/safflower oil

MCAD:

Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase

NAFLD:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

NASH:

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

NEFA:

Non-esterified fatty acid

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

PEPCK:

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

PPAR:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

SCD:

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase

SREBP:

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein

U.CARR:

Carratelli units

UCP:

Uncoupling protein

WAT:

White adipose tissue

WO:

Whale oil

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank NOF Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) for providing FO. This study was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (to S.S., Grant No. 22126004) and Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (to S.H., Grant No. 90644261) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Nutrition, University of Human Arts and Sciences, Saitama, Japan

    Satoshi Hirako

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Mamiko Suzuki, Satoru Yamanaka & Akira Miyazaki

  3. Department of Clinical Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, Saitama, Japan

    Hyounju Kim, Yuzuru Iizuka & Akiyo Matsumoto

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Nobuhiro Wada

  5. Tokyo Shokuryo Dietitian Academy, Tokyo, Japan

    Mai Okabe

  6. Department of Exercise and Sports Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Hoshi University, Tokyo, Japan

    Fumiko Takenoya

  7. The Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo, Japan

    Genta Yasunaga

  8. School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Global Research Center for Innovative Life Science Peptide Drug Innovation, Hoshi University, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8501, Japan

    Seiji Shioda

Authors
  1. Satoshi Hirako
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  2. Mamiko Suzuki
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seiji Shioda.

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Conflict of interest

This study was funded by Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan.

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Hirako, S., Suzuki, M., Kim, H. et al. Hepatic lipid accumulation is ameliorated in obese KK mice by dietary sei whale oil. Fish Sci 82, 509–517 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-0971-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-0971-2

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