The role of Odontella aurita, a marine diatom rich in EPA, as a dietary supplement in dyslipidemia, platelet function and oxidative stress in high-fat fed rats

Abstract

BackgroundDietary changes are a major factor in determining cardiovascular risk. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate the risk factors for metabolic syndrome via multiple mechanisms, including the regulation of the lipid metabolism. We therefore investigated the effect of Odontella aurita, a microalga rich in EPA, which is already used as a food supplement, on the risk factors for high-fat diet induced metabolic syndrome in rats.MethodsMale Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups and were fed with a standard diet (control); with the standard diet supplemented with 3% freeze-dried O. aurita (COA); with a high-fat diet (HF); or with the high-fat diet supplemented with 3% of freeze-dried O. aurita (HFOA) for 7 weeks. In this study we evaluated the impact of these different diets on the risk factors for metabolic syndrome, such as hyperlipidemia, platelet aggregation, thromboxane B2 production, and oxidative stress.ResultsAfter 7 weeks of treatment, high fat feeding had increased final body weight, glycemia, triacylglycerol, and total cholesterol levels in plasma and liver compared to the control diet. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation and basal platelet thromboxane B2 were also higher in the high-fat fed rats than in those in the control group. In the liver, oxidative stress was greater in the HF group than in the control group. O. aurita intake in HFOA-fed rats resulted in lower glycemia and lipid levels in the plasma and liver relative than in the HF group. Thus, in the HFOA group, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in the tissues studied (plasma, liver, and platelets) were higher than in the HF group. Platelet hyper-aggregability tended to decrease in HFOA-fed rats as basal platelet thromboxane B2 production decreased. Finally, O. aurita reduced oxidative stress in the liver, with lower malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione peroxidase activity.ConclusionsO. aurita is a marine diatom rich in EPA as well as in other bioactive molecules, such as pigments. The synergistic effect of these microalgal compounds, displayed a beneficial effect in reducing the risk factors for high-fat induced metabolic syndrome: hyperlipidemia, platelet aggregation, and oxidative stress.

Odontella aurita-enriched diet prevents high fat diet-induced liver insulin resistance

“…Importantly, the supplementation of HFD with FO has a weaker effect as compared to OA regarding inflammation markers. This difference could be attributed to the composition of OA that contains EPA and other components such as anti-oxidants (Moreau et al 2006, Haimeur et al 2012) that are absent in FO. In conclusion, the originality of our findings is that O. aurita added as whole microalga without any processing or purification to HFD is sufficient to overcome HFD-induced liver insulin resistance and inflammation.…”

“…Among marine microalgae, Odontella aurita (O. aurita) presents a high content in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) that is a bioactive w-3 FA. Furthermore, the supplementation of diet with O. aurita reduced high fat induced-metabolic syndrome risk including hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress (Haimeur et al 2012). It has been also shown that feeding a rat a high fat diet supplemented with O. aurita increased the level of w-3 FAs content in different tissues such as the liver and platelets.…”

Marine microalgae used as food supplements and their implication in preventing cardiovascular diseases

“…In this study, the effects of O. aurita as dietary supplement on risk factors linked to metabolic syndrome installation in high fat-fed rats were reported (Haimeur et al, 2012).…”

“…ALA, alpha-linolenic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid. Odontella aurita (Haimeur et al, 2012) In Table 1 are reported the lipid content and the main omega-3 PUFA of interest of microalgae authorized for human nutrition.…”

“…First, will be presented results concerning the influence of the doses of O. aurita as food supplement in order to determine the minimal effective dose for incorporation of EPA and its conversion into DHA in plasma and liver tissues, and second, a synthesis of results obtained on effects of O. aurita used as dietary supplement on risk factors linked to metabolic syndrome installation in high fat-fed rats will be reported (Haimeur et al, 2012).…”