Comparison of Egg Yolk and Soybean Phospholipids on Hepatic Fatty Acid Profile and Liver Protection in Rats Fed a High-Fructose Diet

Abstract

Perturbed lipid metabolism leads to ectopic lipid accumulation in tissues, such as the liver, thereby causing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and negatively influencing circulating lipid profile-inducing dyslipidemia. Phospholipids (PLs) with special biological activity are used to treat chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. PLs derived from egg yolk and soya bean have significant antioxidant and lipid-lowering abilities. This study examined the therapeutic effects of them on hyperlipidemia using a high-fructose-fed rat model; lipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory effects were also analyzed. The results showed that both egg yolk and soya bean phospholipids (EPLs and SPLs) reduced liver weight, hepatic TG, and MDA content as well as serum ALT, AST, TBA, and CRP levels (p < 0.05). The PLs also showed hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects. EPLs and SPLs could inhibit the accumulation of hepatic fatty acids C18:1N9C, C18:0, and C22:6NS of rats fed a high-fat-and-sucrose diet. The intake of EPLs could significantly increase acetylcholine content in the blood and brain tissue. Histological examination showed that PLs intake could ameliorate the damage to liver tissue. This study suggested that EPLs and SPLs had a certain capacity of hypolipidemic and liver protection, and the therapeutic benefits of EPLs tended to be more effective than that of soybean phospholipids.

Novel Biomarker Establishment for Evaluation of Excessive Fructose Consumption Using a Rat Model

“…These results suggest that the increased liver weights and macrovesicular fatty change of the hepatocytes in the HFrD group were caused by the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. In other words, the daily consumption of excessive fructose for 4 weeks induced a typical NAFLD-like situation, as seen in other reports (12,33,34). In this study, periportal vacuolation in the hepatocytes was observed in the HFrD group after 4-weeks consumption (Table II).…”

“…Rats on fructose but not glucosesupplemented diets displayed an abnormal glucose tolerance (11). Furthermore, excessive fructose intake has been widely used as metabolic syndrome-like animal models, including for obesity and diabetes animal models (12)(13)(14)(15). According to these studies, the daily consumption of diets high in fructose can rapidly produce all of the key features of the metabolic syndrome (16).…”

Preclinical and clinical evidence for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with soybean: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…HDL-C is an antiatherosclerotic lipoprotein that is synthesized primarily in the liver and can transport cholesterol from extrahepatic tissue to the liver ( Robertson et al, 2004 ). High serum TC concentrations can stimulate HDL-C transport, leading to transient high cholesterol accumulation in the liver ( Yin et al, 2021 ). Eight studies with 132 animals examined FFA levels after soybean treatment for NAFLD.…”

Health Functions of Egg Protein

“…The various health benefits of eggs have been demonstrated in the existing literature, such as the improvement of blood lipids due to the intake of the phospholipids found in the egg yolk, the improvement of cognitive function due to the choline in the egg yolk [ 4 , 5 ], and increased bone density due to the calcium derived from the eggshells [ 6 ]. In addition, egg whites are characterized by their high dry weight protein content.…”