Short term effects of different omega-3 fatty acid formulation on lipid metabolism in mice fed high or low fat diet

Abstract

BackgroundBioactivities of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) depend on their chemical forms. The present study was to investigate short term effects of triglyceride (TG), ethyl ester (EE), free fatty acid (FFA) and phospholipid (PL) forms of omega-3 fatty acid (FA) on lipid metabolism in mice, fed high fat or low fat diet.MethodMale Balb/c mice were fed with 0.7% different Omega-3 fatty acid formulation: DHA bound free fatty acid (DHA-FFA), DHA bound triglyceride (DHA-TG), DHA bound ethyl ester (DHA-EE) and DHA bound phospholipid (DHA-PL) for 1 week, with dietary fat levels at 5% and 22.5%. Serum and hepatic lipid concentrations were analyzed, as well as the fatty acid composition of liver and brain.ResultAt low fat level, serum total cholesterol (TC) level in mice fed diets with DHA-FFA, DHA-EE and DHA-PL were significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Hepatic TG level decreased significantly in mice fed diets with DHA-TG (P < 0.05), DHA-EE (P < 0.05) and DHA-PL (P < 0.05), while TC level in liver was significantly lower in mice fed diets with TG and EE compared with the control group (P < 0.05). At high fat level, mice fed diets with DHA-EE and DHA-PL had significantly lower hepatic TC level compared with the control diet (P < 0.05). Hepatic PL concentration experienced a significant increase in mice fed the diet with PL at high fat level (P < 0.05). Furthermore, both at low and high fat levels, hepatic DHA level significantly increased and AA level significantly decreased in all forms of DHA groups (P < 0.05), compared to control groups at two different fat levels, respectively. Additionally, cerebral DHA level in mice fed diets with DHA-FFA, DHA-EE and DHA-PL significantly increased compared with the control at high fat level (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were observed among dietary treatments for mice fed diets with low fat level.ConclusionThe present study suggested that not only total dietary fat content but also the molecular forms of omega-3 fatty acids contributed to lipid metabolism in mice. DHA-PL showed effective bioactivity in decreasing hepatic and serum TC, TG levels and increasing omega-3 concentration in liver and brain.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids ameliorate aging via redox-telomere-antioncogene axis

“…In addition to n-3 PUFA compositions, ethyl esters and triglycerides are two main forms of commercial fish oil available in the market [54]. The apparent bioavailability is considered to be the lowest for the ethyl ester form and the highest for the free fatty acid form [55].…”

Short-term Effects of Different Fish Oil Formulations on Tissue Absorption of Docosahexaenoic Acid in Mice Fed High- and Low-Fat Diets

“…As essential constituents of the cell membrane, phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, can influence the surface composition of fat droplets thus facilitating their hydrolysis and digestion 34 . It is believed that these surface-active agents are good bioactive substances for preventing hypertriglyceridemia 7 . When PUFAs are present at the sn-2 position, the PUFAs can maintain its effect in the body rather than entering the circulation to be oxidized and separated.…”

“…However, the effect of dietary fat content on the bioavailability of DHA has not been reported. Tang s study 7 with low dosage omega-3 PUFA treatments suggested that both total dietary fat content and the molecular form of omega-3 PUFA affected the lipid metabolism of mice in a short time. DHA-PL was considered the most effective DHA form for decreasing hepatic and serum TC and TG levels; it contributed to increasing omega-3 concentration in the liver and brain.…”

Comparative Study of EPA-enriched Phosphatidylcholine and EPA-enriched Phosphatidylserine on Lipid Metabolism in Mice

“…Shirouchi et al investigated the effect of n-3 PUFAs EPA,12.0 ; DHA, 28.1 containing PC on obesity-related disorders, which also showed that EPA and DHA levels were markedly increased by n-3 PUFAs-PC diet, compared with the egg-PC diet 47 . Our previous study suggested that the PL form of n-3 PUFAs the ratio of DHA to EPA, 2.6:1 increased DHA concentration in liver 7,11 . Furthermore, rats orally administered with DHA-PC and DHA-PS containing water for 4 days showed that DHA level in the liver, serum and brain was similar between the two groups 48 .…”