Cinnamaldehyde supplementation acts as an insulin mimetic compound improving glucose metabolism during adolescence, but not during adulthood, in healthy male rats.

PURPOSE: Adolescence is a critical period of increased vulnerability to nutritional modifications, and adolescents may respond differently from adults to dietary intake and nutraceuticals. Cinnamaldehyde, a major bioactive compound of cinnamon, improves energy metabolism, as has been shown in studies conducted primarily in adult animals. We hypothesized that cinnamaldehyde treatment may have a higher impact on the glycemic homeostasis of healthy adolescent rats than on healthy adult rats. METHODS: Male adolescent (30 days) or adult (90 days) Wistar rats received cinnamaldehyde (40 mg/kg) for 28 days by gavage. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), liver glycogen content, serum insulin concentration, serum lipid profile, and hepatic insulin signaling marker expression were evaluated. RESULTS: Cinnamaldehyde-treated adolescent rats showed less weight gain (P = 0.041), improved OGTT (P = 0.004), increased expression of phosphorylated IRS-1 (P = 0.015), and a trend to increase phosphorylated IRS-1 (P = 0.063) in the liver of adolescent rats in the basal state. None of these parameters was modified after treatment with cinnamaldehyde in the adult group. Cumulative food intake, visceral adiposity, liver weight, serum insulin, serum lipid profile, hepatic glycogen content, and liver protein expression of IRß, phosphorylated IRß, AKT, phosphorylated AKT, and PTP-1B in the basal state were similar between both age groups. CONCLUSION: In a healthy metabolic condition, cinnamaldehyde supplementation affects glycemic metabolism in adolescent rats while promoting no changes in adult rats.

Impact of Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa, H.B.K.) Supplementation on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, and the Vascular Reactivity of Wistar Rats When Submitted to a Hypersodium Diet.

Introdution: Endothelium integrity is a key that maintains vascular homeostasis but it can suffer irreversible damage by blood pressure changes, reflecting an imbalance in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa, H.B.K.) (BN) supplementation (10% in chow, wt/wt) on the vascular reactivity of Wistar rats during chronic exposure to a sodium overload (1% in water).Methods: First, male Wistar rats were allocated into two groups: Control Group (CG) and the Hypersodic Group (HG) for 4 weeks. Afterward, the CG was divided into the Brazil Nut Group (BNG) and the HG Group into the Hypersodic Brazil Nut Group (HBNG) for a further 8 weeks, totaling 4 groups. Blood pressure was measured during the protocol. At the end of the protocol, the vascular reactivity procedure was performed. Glucose, lipid profile, lipid peroxidation, and platelet aggregation were analyzed in the serum. Body composition was determined by the carcass technique.Results: The groups that were supplemented with the BN chow presented less body mass gain and body fat mass, together with lower serum glucose levels. The HG Group presented an increase in blood pressure and a higher platelet aggregation, while the BN supplementation was able to blunt this effect. The HG Group also showed an increase in contractile response that was phenylephrine-induced and a decrease in maximum relaxation that was acetylcholine-induced when compared to the other groups.Conclusion: The BN supplementation was able to prevent an impaired vascular function in the early stages of arterial hypertension, while also improving body composition, serum glucose, and platelet aggregation.

Arginine and aerobic training prevent endothelial and metabolic alterations in rats at high risk for the development of the metabolic syndrome.

Endothelial function is a key mechanism in the development of CVD. Arginine and exercise are important non-pharmacological strategies for mitigating the impact of metabolic changes in the metabolic syndrome, but the effect of their combined administration is unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the isolated and combined effects of aerobic training and arginine supplementation on metabolic variables and vascular reactivity in rats at high risk for developing the metabolic syndrome. Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control and fructose (F - water with 10 % fructose). After 2 weeks, the F group was divided into four groups: F, fructose+arginine (FA, 880 mg/kg per d of l-arginine), fructose+training (FT) and fructose+arginine+training (FTA); treatments lasted for 8 weeks, and no difference was observed in body mass gain. Arginine did not improve the body protein content, and both the FA and FT groups show a reversal of the increase in adipose tissue. Insulin increase was prevented by training and arginine, without additive effect, and the increase in serum TAG was prevented only by training. The F group showed impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation and hyperreactivity to phenylephrine, but arginine and training were capable of preventing these effects, even separately. Higher nitric oxide level was observed in the FA and FT groups, and no potentiating effect was detected. Thus, only training was able to prevent the increase in TAG and improve the protein mass, and training and arginine exert similar effects on fat content, insulin and endothelial function, but these effects are not additive.

Maternal cinnamon extract intake during lactation leads to sex-specific endocrine modifications in rat offspring.

BACKGROUND: Cinnamon supplementation has been associated with an improvement in glucose disposal and a reduction in fat mass in type 2 diabetes. Maternal nutrition during lactation impacts the health of the offspring throughout life. We hypothesize that cinnamon intake by lactating rats affects maternal physiology, leading to hormonal and metabolic changes in their offspring. To investigate this hypothesis, dams received aqueous cinnamon extract (400 mg cinnamon kg-1 body mass day-1 ) or water orally, during lactation. RESULTS: Maternal cinnamon intake did not affect the body mass gain or food intake of dams or their offspring, although it decreased visceral white adipose tissue mass in dams and in their adult offspring of both sexes. Cinnamon-treated dams exhibited no differences in serum insulin, adiponectin, leptin or estradiol levels, although they presented higher serum progesterone. At weaning, cinnamon male pups exhibited lower insulinemia, whereas cinnamon female pups exhibited lower glycemia. Interestingly, in adulthood, only the female offspring exhibited an altered hormonal profile, with reduced serum leptin, adiponectin and insulin levels accompanied by lower glycemia. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that maternal cinnamon intake during lactation promotes mild changes in dams and can trigger sex-specific metabolic programming in pups that lasts into adulthood. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.