Potential Usefulness of a Wakame/Carob Functional Snack for the Treatment of Several Aspects of Metabolic Syndrome: From In Vitro to In Vivo Studies

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of functional snacks containing a combination of wakame (W) and carob pod (CP) flours in reducing markers associated with MetS. The mechanisms of action underlying these effects were also evaluated. In vitro approaches were carried out in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes and RAW 264.7 macrophages treated with different doses of extracts from W, CP, or a combination of both. Furthermore, an in vivo experiment was conducted in rats with MetS treated with normal-caloric diets containing different snack formulations with combinations of 1/50 (snack A) or 1/5 of wakame/carob (snack B). In vitro experiments results indicated that both W and CP had delipidating effects, but only the latter induced anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive effects. As far as the in vivo study is concerned, snack B was ineffective and snack A showed an anti-hypertensive effect in rats with MetS. The present study shows for the first time the in vitro efficacy of a W and CP combination as an anti-inflammatory, delipidating, and anti-hypertensive tool, and its potential usefulness in treating MetS.

Supplementation with a Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Fruit Extract Attenuates the Cardiometabolic Alterations Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Mice

“…In visceral adipose tissue, the improved insulin resistance was associated with a decreased expression of pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and MCP-1 and with a decreased macrophage infiltration. Likewise, other authors have reported a direct anti-inflammatory effect of carob pod in LPS-stimulated macrophages [27,31]. Like in AT, we also found a lower gene expression of MCP-1 and decreased macrophage infiltration in gastrocnemius explants from CSAT+ ® -supplemented mice, although the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were unchanged among experimental groups.…”

“…In vivo, our results show that supplementation with CSAT+ ® does not affect body weight gain or adiposity in mice fed a HFHS diet. Likewise, other authors have reported that treatment with carob pod affects neither body weight, nor fat mass in vivo [27]. However, it exerts a strong delipidating effect in vitro on adipocyte cultures [31] and in vivo reduces liver triacylglycerol levels in obese rats [45] and in rabbits with hypercholesterolemia [28].…”

“…Among them the fruit of carob tree, (Ceratonia siliqua L.), may be a good candidate since several studies have reported that it exerts beneficial effects improving the glycemic status [18][19][20][21], the lipid profile [22][23][24][25][26], and attenuating the cardiovascular alterations associated with MetS [23,27,28]. Its therapeutic effects are attributed to several bioactive compounds that are present not only in the pulp but also in the pod and the seeds of the carob fruit.…”

Brown Seaweeds for the Management of Metabolic Syndrome and Associated Diseases

“…These authors pointed out the need of a long-term study to investigate the potential use of A. nodosum -enriched bread in overweight subjects and deepen its mechanism of action. Another study investigated the effect of a combination of U. pinnatifida and Ceratonia siliqua L. in functional snacks [ 143 ]. In a rat model, the anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive effects of these algal-enriched snacks were observed, suggesting its potential use for MS management.…”

Anti-Obesity Effects of Macroalgae

“…As far as mature adipocytes are concerned, only one study has been reported so far addressing the effects of macroalgae extracts on TG accumulation. In such study, Martínez-Villaluenga et al [18] analyzed the effect of two doses of an extract from the brown macroalgae Undaria pinnatifida. 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes were treated on day 8 after differentiation for 24 h with 1 or 10 µg/mL of the extract.…”