Nutr Res Pract.  2013 Dec;7(6):475-480.

Antioxidant effects of fucoxanthin rich powder in rats fed with high fat diet

• Ha AW
• Na SJ
• Kim WK

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant effect of fucoxanthin. After rats were fed a normal fat diet (NF), high fat diet (HF), and high fat with 0.2% fucoxanthin diet (HF + Fxn) for 4 weeks, the markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity like lipid peroxidation, plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and gluthathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)) were determined. mRNA expression of transcription factor, nuclear erythroid factor like 2 (Nrf2), and its target genes such as NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were also determined. Mean weight gain in the HF + Fxn group was lower, without statistical significance, and the total food intake in the HF + Fxn group was lower than that in the HF group (P < 0.05). The activity of GSH-Px (P < 0.05) in plasma was significantly higher in the HF + Fxn group than those in the HF group (P < 0.05). In the liver, the activities of catalase (P < 0.05) and GSH-Px (P < 0.05) in the HF + Fxn group were significantly higher than those in the HF group. Plasma TAC level was significantly higher in the HF + Fxn group than that in the HF group (P < 0.05). Lipid peroxidation in plasma tended to be lower without statistical significance. Fucoxanthin supplements were shown to have higher mRNA expression of Nrf2 and NQO1 than those in the high fat diet only group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of fucoxanthin improved the antioxidant capacity, depleted by high fat diet, by activating the Nrf2 pathway and its downstream target gene NQO1. Therefore, supplementation of fucoxanthin, especially for those who consume high fat in their diet, may benefit from reduced risk of oxidative stress.

Keyword

Fucoxanthin; high fat diet; antioxidant; oxidative stress; Nrf2

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antioxidants*
Benzoquinones
Catalase
Diet
Diet, High-Fat*
Eating
Heme Oxygenase-1
Lipid Peroxidation
Liver
Oxidative Stress
Peroxidase
Plasma
Rats*
RNA, Messenger
Superoxide Dismutase
Transcription Factors
Weight Gain
Xanthophylls
Antioxidants
Benzoquinones
Catalase
Heme Oxygenase-1
Peroxidase
RNA, Messenger
Superoxide Dismutase
Transcription Factors
Xanthophylls

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Effect of fucoxanthin rich powder on plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in rats fed high fat diet. Rats were divided into three groups; normal fat diet group (NF group, 7% fat), high fat diet group (HF group, 20% fat), and high fat diet with 0.2% fucoxanthin (HF+Fxn group). Each bar represents the mean ± S.D. (n = 8). Different letters above each bar indicate significant differences among the groups at α = 0.05 as determined by Duncan's multiple range tests.

• 

  Fig. 2 Effect of fucoxanthin rich powder on plasma lipid peroxidation in rats fed with high fat diet. Rats were divided into three groups; normal fat diet group (NF group, 7% fat), high fat diet group (HF group, 20% fat), and high fat diet with 0.2% fucoxanthin (HF+Fxn group). Each bar represents the mean ± S.D. (n = 8). NS stands for not statistically significant among the groups as determined by Duncan's multiple range tests.

• 

  Fig. 3 Effect of fucoxanthin rich powder on mRNA expression of transcription factor and enzymes related to antioxidant system in the liver of rats. Total RNA was isolated using TRI-reagenet, and cDNA was synthesized using 3 ug of total RNA with SuperScript II reverse transcriptase. Realtime PCR was performed using SYBR green and standard procedures to assess the mRNA expression of the primer in liver samples obtained from each group. An Applied Biosystem StepOne softwere v2.1 was used. Each bar represents the mean ± S.E of three independent experiments. Different letters above each bar indicate significant differences among the groups at α = 0.05 as determined by Duncan's multiple range tests. HO-1: heme oxygenase (decycling) 1, Nrf2: nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2, like 2, NQO-1: NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1.

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