Ferulic Acid Alleviates Changes in a Rat Model of Metabolic Syndrome Induced by High-Carbohydrate, High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Ferulic acid (FA) is the major phenolic compound found in rice oil and various fruits and vegetables. In this study, we examined the beneficial effects of FA in minimizing insulin resistance, vascular dysfunction and remodeling in a rat model of high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic changes, which is regarded as an analogue of metabolic syndrome (MS) in man. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high carbohydrate, high fat (HCHF) diet and 15% fructose in drinking water for 16 weeks, where control rats were fed with standard chow diet and tap water. FA (30 or 60 mg/kg) was orally administered to the HCHF and control rats during the last six weeks of the study. We observed that FA significantly improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles, and reduced elevated blood pressure, compared to untreated controls (p < 0.05). Moreover, FA also improved vascular function and prevented vascular remodeling of mesenteric arteries. The effects of FA in HCHF-induced MS may be realized through suppression of oxidative stress by down-regulation of p47phox, increased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability with up-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and suppression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Our results suggest that supplementation of FA may have health benefits by minimizing the cardiovascular complications of MS and alleviating its symptoms.

Ferulic Acid Produced by Lactobacillus fermentum NCIMB 5221 Reduces Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome in Drosophila melanogaster

“…FA at a dose of 2.6 mmol/kg diet was effective at reducing inflammatory, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia markers in a highfructose, high-fat diet-induced model of metabolic syndrome [33]. A similar study found that FA minimized insulin resistance, vascular dysfunction and remodeling in a rat model of high-carbohydrate, highfat diet-induced metabolic changes, which may be realized through suppression of oxidative stress, down-regulation of p47phox, increased nitric oxide bioavailability with up-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and suppression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) [34]. It is clear from these studies that FA simultaneously targets several aspects of metabolic syndrome including hyperglycemic indices, hypercholesterolemia markers, inflammation, oxidation and others through impacting the fundamental signaling mechanisms underlying energy metabolism.…”

Dietary supplementation of barley and/or dates attenuate hypercholesterolemic‐induced endometrial dysfunction in Wistar albino rats via alleviation of apoptotic pathways and enhancing oxidative capacity

“…Phytoestrogens are known to reduce cholesterol absorption via increasing the mRNA surface expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 transporters; resulting in cholesterol efflux (Chen & Wang, ). Additionally, Senaphan et al () reported that ferulic acid enhanced the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and suppressed TNF‐α.…”

Ferulic acid lowers body weight and visceral fat accumulation via modulation of enzymatic, hormonal and inflammatory changes in a mouse model of high-fat diet-induced obesity

“…However, studies are still relevant as it is often a hidden ingredient in herbal and over the counter slimming products (34). In this context, there are reports that FA may have health benefits by minimizing the cardiovascular complications of metabolic syndrome (35). Besides the antiobese potential of FA, this study also evaluated its likely toxicity to liver and kidney.…”