Journal Article

A Green Algae Mixture of Scenedesmus and Schroederiella Attenuates Obesity-Linked Metabolic Syndrome in Rats

Magnusson, Marie, Brown, Lindsay, Kumar, Senthil, Ward, Leigh, Paul, Nicholas

2015

Overview

This study investigated the responses to a green algae mixture of Scenedesmus dimorphus and Schroederiella apiculata (SC) containing protein (46.1% of dry algae), insoluble fibre (19.6% of dry algae), minerals (3.7% of dry algae) and omega-3 fatty acids (2.8% of dry algae) as a dietary intervention in a high carbohydrate, high fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome model in four groups of male Wistar rats. Two groups were fed with a corn starch diet containing 68% carbohydrates as polysaccharides, while the other two groups were fed a diet high in simple carbohydrates (fructose and sucrose in food, 25% fructose in drinking water, total 68%) and fats (saturated and trans fats from beef tallow, total 24%). High carbohydrate, high fat-fed rats showed visceral obesity with hypertension, insulin resistance, cardiovascular remodelling, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. SC supplementation (5% of food) lowered total body and abdominal fat mass, increased lean mass, and attenuated hypertension, impaired glucose and insulin tolerance, endothelial dysfunction, infiltration of inflammatory cells into heart and liver, fibrosis, increased cardiac stiffness, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the high carbohydrate, high fat diet-fed rats. This study suggests that the insoluble fibre or protein in SC helps reverse diet-induced metabolic syndrome.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: abdominal fat / Algae / Animals / Anti-Obesity Agents - administration & dosage / Biomass / Blood Glucose - metabolism / Body Composition / carbohydrate content / Carbohydrates / Cardiovascular Diseases - drug therapy / Chlorophyta / Cholesterol - blood / corn starch / Diet / Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects / Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage / Dietary Fats - administration & dosage / Dietary Fiber - administration & dosage / Dietary minerals / Dietary Supplements / drinking water / Fatty acids / Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - administration & dosage / fatty liver / fibrosis / Food / fructose / Fructose - administration & dosage / glucose / Glucose Tolerance Test / heart / Hypertension / Hypertension - drug therapy / insoluble fiber / Insulin - blood / Insulin Resistance / laboratory animals / liver / Liver diseases / Magnesium - administration & dosage / Magnesium - blood / Male / males / Metabolic disorders / Metabolic syndrome / Metabolic Syndrome - drug therapy / minerals / Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - drug therapy / nutritional intervention / Obesity / Obesity, Abdominal - drug therapy / Oils & fats / omega-3 fatty acids / Organ Size / polysaccharides / Potassium, Dietary - administration & dosage / Potassium, Dietary - blood / Proteins / R&D / Rats / Rats, Wistar / Research & development / Risk factors / Scenedesmus / Scenedesmus dimorphus / Scientific imaging / Sodium, Dietary - administration & dosage / Sodium, Dietary - blood / sucrose / Sucrose - administration & dosage / tallow / Tetradesmus dimorphus / Trans fats / trans fatty acids / Triglycerides - blood / Weight control