06.05.20
An algae known as Dunaliella tertiolecta (DT) may have the ability to slow down diet-induced obesity, based on a supplementation study in mice.
In a study published in the journal Nutrients, thermoneutral mice were subject to diet-induced obesity through a high-fat diet over the course of 12 weeks. Experimental groups’ diets were supplemented with either 10 g or 25 g of DT powder per kilogram of food, while a placebo group received no DT.
With no differences in food intake, DT supplementation resulted in significantly reduced body weight gain in the 25 g DT group. Tissue analyses indicated that DT attenuated the activity of brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, which is a known accelerant of diet-induced obesity.
Supplementation caused the maintenance of multilocular morphology in brown fat, and reduced fat deposition in the liver in the mice, and a molecular analysis showed a significant decrease in mammalian target of rapamycin-ribosomal S6 protein kinase signaling pathway in white adipose tissue and upregulation in mRNA expression of brown fat-associated genes in the high group compared to the control. DT extract upregulated mRNA expression of brown fat-associated genes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These changes were only observed to be significant in the high (25 g) group and not the low (10 g) group.
“Our data show the ability of DT as a nutraceutical to prevent brown fat attenuation and diet-induced obesity in vivo,” the Japan-based Chubu University researchers wrote.
Each kind of fat is associated with different purposes, though together they are responsible for the metabolism of lipids and glucose, and affect energy homeostasis under the control of hormones and cytokines in the body. White fat is a standard fat that stores energy in large, exterior fat droplets which accumulate around the body. Brown fat, which until recently was believed to only exist in babies and disappear in adults, is stored in a much smaller space. Its coloration is caused by high levels of iron, and is responsible for thermogenesis (a process in which it burns calories). Brown fat has been theorized as a possible treatment for obesity and some metabolic conditions, and researchers have historically sought out genetic expressions which lead to the conversion of white fat to brown fat for this reason.
Researchers sought out DT’s potential in targeting BAT activity due to its high concentration of Evodiamine (Evo), an alkaloid compound which has been studied for exhibiting anti-nociceptive, anti-obesity, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory effects.
“Considering the crucial role of brown fat in energy metabolism and the causal relation between the decline in brown fat activity and obesity progression, DT may serve as a functional food for human health,” the researchers concluded. “Further studies may reveal unknown effective compounds involved in brown fat formulation and FGF21 production in future study.”
In a study published in the journal Nutrients, thermoneutral mice were subject to diet-induced obesity through a high-fat diet over the course of 12 weeks. Experimental groups’ diets were supplemented with either 10 g or 25 g of DT powder per kilogram of food, while a placebo group received no DT.
With no differences in food intake, DT supplementation resulted in significantly reduced body weight gain in the 25 g DT group. Tissue analyses indicated that DT attenuated the activity of brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, which is a known accelerant of diet-induced obesity.
Supplementation caused the maintenance of multilocular morphology in brown fat, and reduced fat deposition in the liver in the mice, and a molecular analysis showed a significant decrease in mammalian target of rapamycin-ribosomal S6 protein kinase signaling pathway in white adipose tissue and upregulation in mRNA expression of brown fat-associated genes in the high group compared to the control. DT extract upregulated mRNA expression of brown fat-associated genes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These changes were only observed to be significant in the high (25 g) group and not the low (10 g) group.
“Our data show the ability of DT as a nutraceutical to prevent brown fat attenuation and diet-induced obesity in vivo,” the Japan-based Chubu University researchers wrote.
Each kind of fat is associated with different purposes, though together they are responsible for the metabolism of lipids and glucose, and affect energy homeostasis under the control of hormones and cytokines in the body. White fat is a standard fat that stores energy in large, exterior fat droplets which accumulate around the body. Brown fat, which until recently was believed to only exist in babies and disappear in adults, is stored in a much smaller space. Its coloration is caused by high levels of iron, and is responsible for thermogenesis (a process in which it burns calories). Brown fat has been theorized as a possible treatment for obesity and some metabolic conditions, and researchers have historically sought out genetic expressions which lead to the conversion of white fat to brown fat for this reason.
Researchers sought out DT’s potential in targeting BAT activity due to its high concentration of Evodiamine (Evo), an alkaloid compound which has been studied for exhibiting anti-nociceptive, anti-obesity, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory effects.
“Considering the crucial role of brown fat in energy metabolism and the causal relation between the decline in brown fat activity and obesity progression, DT may serve as a functional food for human health,” the researchers concluded. “Further studies may reveal unknown effective compounds involved in brown fat formulation and FGF21 production in future study.”