RESEARCH Open Access The flavonoid, naringenin, decreases adipose tissue mass and attenuates ovariectomy-associated metabolic disturbances in mice.

Jia-Yu Ke; Kliewer, Kara L.; Hamad, Essam M.; Cole, Rachel M.; Powell, Kimerly A.; Andridge, Rebecca R.; Straka, Shana R.; Yee, Lisa D.; Belury, Martha A.

Objective: Adverse metabolic changes associated with loss of ovarian function increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in postmenopausal women. Naringenin improves metabolic disturbances in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we tested the effects of naringenin on metabolic disturbances resulting from estrogen deficiency in ovariectomized mice. Materials/methods: Ovariectomized C57BL/6 J female mice were fed a control diet (10% calories from fat) for 11 weeks. Mice either continued on the control diet (n = 9) or were switched to the control diet supplemented with 3% naringenin (n = 10) for the next 11 weeks. Energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry and activity was monitored by infrared beam breaks. Intra-abdominal and subcutaneous adiposity was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Blood biochemical measures of metabolic response included glucose, insulin, adipokines, and lipids. Lipid content in liver and muscle and expression of relevant genes in adipose tissue, liver, and muscle were quantified. Results: Ovariectomized mice fed naringenin exhibited lower fasting glucose and insulin levels compared to controls, with over 50% reduction of intra-abdominal and subcutaneous adiposity. Plasma leptin and leptin mRNA in adipose depots were also decreased in mice fed a naringenin diet. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1/Ccl2) and interleukin 6 (IL-6/Il6) mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in perigonadal adipose tissue of naringenin-supplemented mice. We also observed that mice fed a naringenin diet had less hepatic lipid accumulation with corresponding alterations of hepatic gene expression associated with de novo lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, and gluconeogenesis. Conclusion: Dietary naringenin attenuates many of the metabolic disturbances associated with ovariectomy in female mice.

BLOOD sugar analysis; PROTEIN metabolism; LIVER analysis; LIPID analysis; GENES; ADIPOSE tissues; ANALYSIS of covariance; ANIMAL experimentation; BIOPHYSICS; HUMAN body composition; CALORIMETRY; CHOLESTEROL; STATISTICAL correlation; DIETARY supplements; ENERGY metabolism; FATTY acids; FLAVONOIDS; HISTOLOGICAL techniques; INGESTION; INSULIN; INTERLEUKINS; LONGITUDINAL method; MAGNETIC resonance imaging; MATHEMATICS; RESEARCH methodology; METABOLISM; MICE; OVARIECTOMY; OXIDATION-reduction reaction; PROBABILITY theory; RESEARCH funding; STATISTICAL hypothesis testing; T-test (Statistics); LEPTIN; STATISTICAL significance; DATA analysis software; SKELETAL muscle; DESCRIPTIVE statistics

Nutrition & Metabolism, 2015, Vol 12, Issue 1, p1

1743-7075

Academic Journal

10.1186/1743-7075-12-1