Maternal soybean diet during lactation alters breast milk composition and programs the lipid profile in adult male rat offspring.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of maternal dietary soybean during lactation on the milk composition, body composition, lipid profile and glucose homeostasis of dams and offspring at weaning (21 days) and adulthood (150 days). METHODS: Lactating rats were divided into: casein control (C): casein diet; soy (S): soybean diet; soy oil control (SOC): casein diet, but with fat content similar to the S group. RESULTS: At 21 days, S mothers showed lower estradiol, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides (TG) in serum; and lower TC and TG in milk. The S offspring had lower body weight, body fat mass, TC, LDL, hyperleptinemia and hypertriglyceridemia. At 150 days, S offspring presented higher total mineral content and lower TC (v. SOC) and LDL (v. C and SOC), and hyperinsulinemia with lower glycemia v. SOC group, which had lower insulinemia with higher glycemia, TC and LDL. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal intake of soybeans in lactation changes the lipid content of breast milk and programmed offspring for phenotype of the lower metabolic risk, with lower serum TC and LDL, and seems to protect the progeny of alterations in glucose metabolism despite the higher lipid content. The difference in fat content of breast milk and the higher isoflavones content of soy diet are possible imprinting factors that could program the offspring.

Cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA mixture does not change body composition, induces insulin resistance and increases serum HDL cholesterol level in rats.

Synthetic supplements of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) containing 50:50 mixture of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA isomers have been commercialized in some places for reducing body fat. However the safety of this CLA mixture is controversial and in some countries the CLA usage as food supplement is not authorized. Changes in insulinemic control and serum lipids profile are potential negative effects related to consumption of CLA mixture. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a diet containing mixture of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA on prevention of obesity risk as well as on potential side effects such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in Wistar rats. Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following dietary treatments (n=10/group), for 60 days: Normolipidic Control (NC), diet containing 4.0% soybean oil (SO); High Fat-Control (HF-C), diet containing 24.0% SO; High Fat-synthetic CLA (HF-CLA), diet containing 1.5% of an isomeric CLA mixture (Luta-CLA 60) and 22.5% SO. Luta-CLA 60 (BASF) contained nearly 60% of CLA (cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA at 50:50 ratio). The HF-CLA diet contained 0.3% of each CLA isomer. HF-CLA diet had no effect on dietary intake and body composition. HF-CLA-fed rats had lower levels of PPARγ protein in retroperitoneal adipose tissue, hyperinsulinemia compared to HF-C-fed rats, hyperglycemia compared to NC-fed rats while no differences in glycemia were observed between NC and HF-C groups, increased HOMA index and higher levels of serum HDL cholesterol. Thus, feeding rats with a high fat diet containing equal parts of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA isomers had no effect on body composition and induced insulin resistance. Despite HF-CLA-fed rats had increased serum HDL cholesterol levels, caution should be taken before synthetic supplements containing cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA are recommended as a nutritional strategy for weight management.

Butter naturally enriched in cis-9, trans-11 CLA prevents hyperinsulinemia and increases both serum HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in rats.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from in vitro and animal studies indicates that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) possesses anti-diabetic properties, which appear to be attributed to cis-9, trans-11 CLA, the major CLA isomer in ruminant fat. However, there is a shortage of studies addressing CLA from natural source. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of butter naturally enriched in cis-9, trans-11 CLA on parameters related to glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and dyslipidemia in rats. METHODS: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following dietary treatments (n=10/group), for 60 days: 1) Normal fat-Soybean oil (NF-So): diet containing 4.0% soybean oil (SO); 2) High Fat-Control Butter (HF-Cb): diet containing 21.7% control butter and 2.3% SO; 3) High Fat-CLA enriched Butter (HF-CLAb): diet containing 21.7% cis-9, trans-11 CLA-enriched butter and 2.3% SO; and 4) High fat-Soybean oil (HF-So): diet containing 24.0% SO. HF-Cb and HF-CLAb diets contained 0.075% and 0.235% of cis-9, trans-11 CLA, respectively. RESULTS: HF-CLAb-fed rats had lower serum insulin levels at fasting than those fed with the HF-Cb diet, while the PPARγ protein levels in adipose tissue was increased in HF-CLAb-fed rats compared to HF-Cb-fed rats. Furthermore, R-QUICK was lower in HF-Cb than in NF-So group, while no differences in R-QUICK were observed among NF-So, HF-CLAb and HF-So groups. Serum HDL cholesterol levels were higher in HF-CLAb-fed rats than in those fed NF-So, HF-Cb and HF-So diets, as well as higher in NF-So-fed rats than in HF-Cb and HF-So-fed rats. HF-CLAb, HF-Cb and HF-So diets reduced serum LDL cholesterol levels when compared to NF-So, whereas serum triacylglycerol levels were increased in HF-CLAb. CONCLUSION: Feeding rats on a high-fat diet containing butter naturally enriched in cis-9, trans-11 CLA prevented hyperinsulinemia and increased HDL cholesterol, which could be associated with higher levels of cis-9, trans-11 CLA, vaccenic acid, oleic acid and lower levels of short and medium-chain saturated fatty acids from butter naturally modified compared to control butter. On the other hand CLA-enriched butter also increased serum triacylglycerol levels, which could be associated with concomitant increases in the content of trans-9 and trans-10 C18:1 isomers in the CLA-enriched butter.

Immunomodulatory effects of licochalcone A on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

OBJECTIVES: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a murine autoimmune disease used to study multiple sclerosis. Herein, we have investigated the immunomodulatory effect of licochalcone A (LicoA) on NO, H2 O2 , tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and IL-17 production in cultured cells from EAE mice. METHODS: EAE was induced in C57Bl/6 mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55 ). LicoA was isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflata. Splenocytes were obtained from EAE mice and incubated with LicoA (4, 20 and 40 µm). Peritoneal cells were obtained from EAE mice treated with LicoA (15 and 30 mg/kg/day. p.o.). H2 O2 , NO, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-17 production was determined in the presence or absence of concanavalin (ConA) or MOG35-55 stimulation. KEY FINDINGS: LicoA (40 µm) inhibited H2 O2 , NO, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-17 production in splenocytes spontaneously or after both ConA and MOG35-55 stimulation. LicoA (30 mg/kg/day) reduced clinical score and severity of EAE mice, and inhibited TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 production in peritoneal cells. CONCLUSIONS: LicoA possesses immunomodulatory effects on H2 O2 , NO, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-17 production in cells from EAE mice. It is suggested that LicoA acts on the mechanism of development of EAE by IFN-γ, IL-17 and TNF-α inhibition, modulating the immune response on both Th1 and Th17 cells.

Body weight gain and serum leptin levels of non-overweight and overweight/obese pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to evaluate changes in serum leptin levels during pregnancy in overweight/obese and non-obese women and to assess total and percent weight gain during pregnancy as possible factors that influence leptin levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a prospective study of 42 low-risk pregnant women receiving prenatal care, we assessed serum leptin levels at gestational weeks 9-12, 25-28, and 34-37. Based on their pre-pregnancy body mass indices (BMIs), the cohort was divided into: non-overweight (BMI <25 kg/m(2)) and overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) subjects. RESULTS: We found a progressive increase in maternal weight gain during pregnancy in both groups. There was also a progressive increase in leptin levels in the 2 strata; however, the increase was significantly higher in the non-overweight patient group. We found that non-overweight pregnant women had a noticeably larger total weight gain. When analyzing the percent weight gain during pregnancy compared to the pre-pregnancy weight, the non-overweight group had a significantly greater percent weight gain than the overweight/obese group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the greater increase in leptin levels in non-overweight pregnant women can be explained by the higher percent weight gain in this group compared to overweight/obese women. These findings suggest that controlling the percent weight gain may be an important preventive measure when controlling leptin levels during pregnancy and subsequent medical complications.