Time Course of Changes in the Expression of Insulin Sensitivity-Related Genes after an Acute Load of Virgin Olive Oil

Abstract

Our aim was to examine whether an acute fat load could induce changes in the expression of insulin sensitivity-related genes in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Selection of candidate genes was based on previous studies with sustained virgin olive oil (VOO) consumption and biological plausibility in relation to insulin sensitivity. Eleven healthy volunteers ingested raw VOO (50 mL). Blood samples were collected at 0, 1 and 6 h. Plasma glucose, insulin and hydroxytyrosol increased at 1 h and decreased at 6 h. Lipid oxidative damage increased at 6 h (p < 0.05). Gene expression changes were characterized based on quantification of the samples relative to a reference sample [i.e., relative quantification (RQ) method]. A 1 h downregulation was observed in O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT, RQ: 0.62 +/- 0.32) and arachidonate-5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (ALOX5AP, RQ: 0.64 +/- 0.31) genes (p < 0.005). OGT was upregulated at 6 h (RQ: 1.88 +/- 0.28, p < 0.05). CD36 (thrombospondin receptor) was upregulated at 1 h (RQ: 1.6 +/- 0.8, p < 0.05) returning to the basal values at 6 h. Lipoic acid synthetase (LIAS), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor binding protein (PPARBP), a disintegrin and metallopeptidase domain 17 (ADAM17), and adrenergic beta-2-receptor (ADRB2) genes were upregulated at 6 h (range for the mean RQ: 1.33-1.56) following an increasing linear trend (p < 0.05) from baseline to 6 h. ALOX5AP and OGT genes inversely correlated with insulin and glucose levels at 1 h. ADAM17 and ADRB2 inversely correlated with oxLDL at 6 h (p < 0.05). Taken together, these observations may inform the future clinical nutrigenomics study designs and indicate that a single dose of VOO can elicit quantifiable and rapid changes in gene expression in targets that are mechanistically relevant for insulin sensitivity and the metabolic syndrome.

Human Intervention Study to Assess the Effects of Supplementation with Olive Leaf Extract on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Gene Expression

“…This FC cut-off has been used in previous nutrigenomic studies [14,16]. The genes were identified and classified using Gene Ontology (GO) [17,18] and listed with gene names, FC, and p- values.…”

Biomarkers of Nutrient Bioactivity and Efficacy

“…Clear and consistent results from applying transcriptomics in human nutritional interventions have been obtained for the characterization of the molecular response to dietary lipids (PUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and saturated fatty acids). In this regard, most experiments have targeted peripheral blood mononuclear cells [55][56][57][58][59] and a few others in adipose 60,61 and prostate 62 tissues. These studies have consistently shown that PUFA and MUFA repress the expression of proinflammatory genes, supporting the role of these nutrients as important modulators of cardiovascular disease risk.…”

Olive Oil and Cardiovascular Health

“…45 A single dose of 50 mL of olive oil can elicit a rapid response of insulin sensitivity-related genes at postprandial time. 72 Insulin sensitivity after an olive oil-rich diet has been shown to be modulated by the polymorphism exon 1 variants of the scavenger receptor class B type I (SCARB1). 73 Recently, the mononuclear transcriptome response in human PBMCs after sustained VOO consumption (3 weeks) has been reported.…”