Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 14, 2013; 19(46): 8671-8677
Published online Dec 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i46.8671
Dietary-suppression of hepatic lipogenic enzyme expression in intact male transgenic mice
Maria Notarnicola, Maria Gabriella Caruso, Angela Tafaro, Valeria Tutino, Giusy Bianco, Mario Minoia, Antonio Francavilla
Maria Notarnicola, Maria Gabriella Caruso, Valeria Tutino, Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, National Institute for Digestive Diseases, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
Angela Tafaro, Giusy Bianco, Mario Minoia, Animal Facility, National Institute for Digestive Diseases, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
Antonio Francavilla, Scientific Direction, National Institute for Digestive Diseases, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
Author contributions: Notarnicola M and Caruso MG have equally contributed to this work; Francavilla A designed the study; Notarnicola M and Tutino V performed the research; Tafaro A, Bianco G and Minoia M performed animal care; Notarnicola M and Caruso MG analyzed the data and wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Maria Notarnicola, ScD, Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, National Institute for Digestive Diseases, Via della Resistenza, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy. maria.notarnicola@irccsdebellis.it
Telephone: +39-80-4994342 Fax: +39-80-4994313
Received: March 18, 2013
Revised: April 16, 2013
Accepted: May 7, 2013
Published online: December 14, 2013
Processing time: 274 Days and 16.4 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To study, in intact male transgenic mice, the effects of three diets based on olive oil and olive oil diet supplemented with lovastatin and orlistat on hepatic lipogenic enzymes expression, considered markers of cell proliferation.

METHODS: Forty ApcMin/+ mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and fed for 10 wk: olive oil (OO) group, n = 10 animals received a diet with olive oil 12%; olive oil plus lovastatin (LOVA) group, n = 10 animals received the same diet with olive oil supplemented with lovastatin 5 mg/kg; olive oil plus orlistat (OR) group, n = 10 animals fed the diet with olive oil supplemented with orlistat 50 mg/kg and SD group, n = 10 animals fed a standard diet. The activity of lipogenic enzymes and their gene expression were evaluated by radiometric and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, respectively.

RESULTS: After 10 wk of dietary treatment, the body weight was no different among animal groups (21.3 ± 3.1 g for standard group, 22.1 ± 3.6 g for OO group, 22.0 ± 3.2 g for LOVA group and 20.7 ± 3.4 g for OR group, data expressed as mean ± SD), observing a generalized well-being in all animals. All the dietary managed treated groups presented significantly reduced hepatic levels of fatty acid synthase, farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase and 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase activity and gene expression when compared with the mice fed the standard diet. To evaluate cell proliferation in the liver of treated mice, the levels of cyclin E mRNA have been measured, demonstrating a significant reduction of cyclin E gene expression in all treated groups. Evidence of reduced hepatic cell proliferation was present overall in OO group mice.

CONCLUSION: We confirm the role of lipogenic enzymes as markers of cell proliferation, suggesting that appropriate dietary management alone or with drugs can be a feasible approach to counteract hepatic cell proliferation in mice.

Keywords: Lipogenic enzymes; Liver; Markers of cell proliferation; Transgenic mice; Dietary treatment

Core tip: The olive oil diet significantly reduces the enzymatic activities, as well as the expression of hepatic cell cycle related genes. The addition of drugs as lovastatin and orlistat to olive oil diet more down-regulated the studied lipogenic enzymes, demonstrating that the inhibition of these enzymes with natural components of diet could have a potential benefit in association with canonical chemical substances to counteract hepatic cell proliferation in mice.