An obesogenic diet enriched with blue mussels protects against weight gain and lowers cholesterol levels in C57BL/6 mice.

Obesity is linked to several health complications, such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and hypertension. Dyslipidemia in obesity is one of the prime causes for health complications. We have previously shown that blue mussels (BM) are a rich source of omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and increase the mRNA expression of peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor and adiponectin, thereby inducing anti-obesity and insulin sensitizing effects in vitro. However, the in vivo effects of BM on obesity and metabolic regulation are not known. We hypothesized that dietary intake of BM will prevent weight gain and improve lipid profile of C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Mice were fed a HFD supplemented with 5% w/w BM (BM-HFD) for 4 weeks, and then switched to a HFD for 4 weeks. Mice fed a BM-HFD showed significantly lower body weight gain and abdominal fat, compared to the HFD. Furthermore, a BM-HFD significantly reduced plasma and hepatic total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, compared to HFD. The decrease in cholesterol levels coincided with inhibition of hepatic sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 and HMG-CoA reductase mRNA expression, and an increase in LDL-receptor gene expression in the BM-HFD group, compared to the HFD group. In conclusion, our findings have established that BM reduces body weight gain in mice. BM may have potential to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, thereby protecting against obesity and perhaps heart disease.

A high fat-high sucrose diet enriched in blue mussels protects against systemic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation and weight gain in C57BL/6 mice.

High fat-high sucrose (HF-HS) diet, known as the western diet, has been shown to induce the onset of obesity via increasing metabolic inflammation, insulin resistance and adipose tissue dysfunction. Hyperleptinemia, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia are also the primary observations of obesogenic diet induced obesity. We have previously reported anti-adipogenic and insulin sensitizing effects of blue mussels (BM) using 3T3-L1 cells. BM is a rich source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and other micronutrients that has been shown to elicit benefits under obese conditions using in-vitro cell culture models. However, no studies to date have established the anti-obesity effects, safety and efficacy of BM in an in-vivo animal model. In the present study, we fed a HF-HS diet supplemented with different concentrations of BM freeze-dried powder (1.25, 2.5 and 5% w/w) to C57BL/6 mice for 12weeks. A HF-HS diet caused rapid weight gain, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hyperleptinemia, and increased plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines; interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Incorporating 2.5% BM in the HF-HS diet prevented weight gain, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines and leptin mRNA expression. Furthermore, plasma from 2.5% BM increased cholesterol efflux capacity of J774 macrophage cells, compared to plasma from HF-HS diet. There was no effect of 1.25% BM on any tested parameters, while 5% BM was not palatable after four weeks. In conclusion, our findings have established the efficacy and safety of BM using C57BL/6 mice, demonstrating that BM has the potential to target obesity and related complications.

Glycogen phosphorylase-a is a common target for anti-diabetic effect of iridoid and secoiridoid glycosides.

PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, action or both. The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diabetes mellitus dates back from the Ebers papyrus of about 1550 B.C. One of the major problems with herbal drugs is that the active ingredients are not well defined. It is important to know the active components and their molecular interactions which will help to analyze their therapeutic efficacy and also to standardize the product. There are a number of medicinal plants known for their anti-diabetic effect that possess similarities in their active chemical components, e.g. iridoid and secoiridoid glycosides. METHODS: In this study, we have compared the structure of various iridoid and secoiridoid glycosides to design a novel pharmacophore. We further developed a structure-activity relationship for the inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase-a. CONCLUSION: By using docking studies, we are proposing, for the first time, that inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase-a activity is a common target for iridoids and secoiridoids to elicit anti-diabetic effects. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.