Green tea extract suppresses adiposity and affects
the expression of lipid metabolism genes in dietinduced
obese zebrafish
Visceral fat accumulation is one of the most important predictors of mortality in obesepopulations. Administration of green tea extract (GTE) can reduce body fat and reduce therisk of obesity-related diseases in mammals.
In this study, we investigated the effects andmechanisms of GTE on adiposity in diet-induced obese (DIO) zebrafish.
Methods:
Zebrafish at 3.5 to 4.5 months post-fertilization were allocated to four groups: non-DIO, DIO,DIO + 0.0025%GTE, and DIO + 0.0050%GTE. The non-DIO group was fed freshly hatchedArtemia once daily (5 mg cysts/fish daily) for 40 days.
Zebrafish in the three DIO groupswere fed freshly hatched Artemia three times daily (60 mg cysts/fish daily). Zebrafish in theDIO + 0.0025%GTE and DIO + 0.0050%GTE groups were exposed to GTE after the start offeeding three times daily for 40 days.
Results:
Three-dimensional microcomputed tomography analysis showed that GTE exposuresignificantly decreased the volume of visceral but not subcutaneous fat tissue in DIOzebrafish.
GTE exposure increased hepatic expression of the lipid catabolism genes ACOX1(acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1, palmitoyl), ACADM (acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, c-4 to c-12 straight chain), and PPARA (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha). GTEexposure also significantly decreased the visceral fat expression of SOCS3 (suppressor ofcytokine signaling 3b) which inhibits leptin signaling.
Conclusions:
The present results are consistent with those seen in mammals treated with GTE, supportingthe validity of studying the effects of GTE in DIO zebrafish.
Our results suggest that GTEexerts beneficial effects on adiposity, possibly by altering the expression of lipid catabolismgenes and SOCS3.
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