Effect of Zanthoxylum alkylamides on lipid metabolism and its mechanism in rats fed with a high‐fat diet

Abstract

This research aimed at exploring the effect of Zanthoxylum alkylamides on lipid metabolism and its potential mechanisms using high-fat diet rat model. Treatment with Zanthoxylum alkylamides for 6 weeks, food efficiency and atherogenic index of the low, medium, and high doses of Zanthoxylum alkylamides-treated groups were significantly reduced. Meanwhile, the histopathological structure of the livers showed that hepatic steatosis in the groups treated with Zanthoxylum alkylamides was reduced, particularly the HD group. Moreover, the related genes were studied, such as, liver X receptor (LXR), cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), hepatic 3-hydroxyl-2-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase, sterol regulatory elementbinding protein 2 (SREBP-2), ileal bile acid-binding protein (IBABP), sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT), and transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype1 (TRPV1). These results demonstrated that Zanthoxylum alkylamides could ameliorate abnormal lipid metabolism in rats fed with a high-fat diet. The underlying mechanism may be the downregulation of the expression levels of cholesterol synthesis and bile acid reabsorption-related genes, reduction of endogenous cholesterol synthesis, and increase in bile acid and neutral sterol excretion. Practical applications High-energy diet is a potential risk of lipid metabolic disorder. Many studies have shown that hyperlipidemia can lead to atherosclerosis and even hemangioma, cerebral thrombosis, coronary heart disease, and other diseases, which seriously threaten human health. Therefore, seeking an effective and safe way to prevent the obesityrelated disease is necessary. This research found that Zanthoxylum alkylamide could ameliorate abnormal lipid metabolism in rats fed with a high-fat diet. The underlying mechanism may be the downregulation of the expression levels of cholesterol synthesis and ileal absorption of bile acid genes, reduction of endogenous cholesterol synthesis, and increase in bile acid and neutral sterol excretion. Therefore, Zanthoxylum alkylamide has the potential for preventing or alleviating high-energy intake-related obesity.

Effects of dietary betaine on cholesterol metabolism and hepatopancreas function in gibel carp ( Carassius gibelio ) fed with a high‐fat diet

“…In medicine, hyperlipidaemia is often attributed to abnormal lipid operation and metabolism, manifesting increased serum TC, TG and LDLC contents and reduced HDLC content (Wang et al, 2021).…”

Association between Variants of the TRPV1 Gene and Body Composition in Sub-Saharan Africans

“…By activating TRPV1 channels, they cause an increase in intracellular free Ca 2+ levels, thus triggering the desensitization of nociceptive neurons [ 82 ] and the suppression of visceral fat accumulation through the upregulation of UCP1 (Mitochondrial Uncoupling Protein 1) [ 83 ]. Lipid metabolism has also been found to be regulated by the interaction of TRPV1 with transcription factors involved in energy homeostasis, such as peroxisome proliferation-activated receptors (PPARs, [ 84 , 85 ]) and sterol-responsive element-binding proteins (SREBPs, [ 86 , 87 ]).…”

The interaction of TRPV1 and lipids: Insights into lipid metabolism

“…Some of these studies concluded that overexpression of TRPV1 is involved in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases. In contrast, low expression of TRPV1 has been reported to be involved in metabolic syndrome (Baskaran et al, 2016;Krishnan et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2020). In apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, evodiamine significantly reduced atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, and systemic inflammation and this beneficially therapeutic effect was not seen in ApoE −/− mice that lack TRPV1 (Wei et al, 2013), suggesting that TRPV1 curbs the development of atherosclerosis.…”

“…Tart cherry supplements downregulated the HFD-induced expression of adipogenesis-related genes including SREBP-1c accompanied by down regulation of TRPV1 ( Cocci et al, 2021 ). Similarly, zanthoxylum alkylamides ameliorated abnormal lipid metabolism in rats fed HFD through upregulation of TRPV1 and downregulation of SREBP-1c ( Wang et al, 2020 ). It seems that the lipid lowering effect exerted by these plants products is attributed to modulation of TRPV1 that may be involved in the down regulation of SREBP-1c.…”