Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Regular Consumption of Cooked Ham Enriched with Dietary Phenolics in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Abstract

Oxidative damage and chronic inflammation have been proven as one of the major factors associated with obesity, which increases the incidence of non-communicable chronic diseases. In this sense, the development of new functional products aiming at the palliation of oxidative stress and inflammatory disruption can be a determining factor for public health as seen in previous researches. In this study, a blend of potentially bioavailable dietary phenolics was added to low sodium and low-fat cooked ham. A diet-induced obesity model in C57/BL6J mice has been used for testing the effectiveness of the phenolic blend and the new functionalized product, which bioavailability was tested by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. After obesity induction, different oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers were evaluated. Results in the murine induced obesity model, demonstrate a robust statistically significant improvement in key parameters related with obesity risk in the groups feed with a phenolic-enriched diets (P) + high-fat diet (HFD) and phenolic enriched cooked ham (PECH) + HFD. In both groups there was an improvement in body composition parameters, inflammatory biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes levels. Specifically in the group feed with the phenolic enriched cooked ham (PECH + HFD) there was an improvement of total fat volume (23.08% reduction), spleen index (22.04% of reduction), plasmatic MCP-1 (18% reduction), IL-6 (38.94% reduction), IL-10 (13.28% reduction), TNF-α (21.32% reduction), gut IL-1β (10.86% reduction), gut IL-6 (13.63% reduction) and GPx (60.15% increase) and catalase (91.37% increase) enzymes. Thus, the functionalized ham could be considered an appropriate dietary polyphenol source, which might improve the oxidative and inflammatory status and could finally result in the potential decrease of the risk of certain non-communicable chronic diseases.

A Review on Applications and Uses of Thymus in the Food Industry

“…Therefore, they might be considered one of the first functional foods. Experimental evidence supports the health benefits attributed to spices and herbs, for example, cardio-protective and anti-atherogenic potential, digestive stimulant action, antidiabetic effects, antilithogenic properties, cancer-preventive potential and anti-inflammatory properties [83][84][85].…”

“…Infusions of thyme have been used for their health benefits for thousands of years as a cold treatment, antispasmodic, a carminative agent, traditional medicine in digestive problems and an expectorant for upper respiratory tract infections. In addition, the potential therapeutic effects of thymol have been used for the treatment of disorders affecting different organ systems, such as the cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems [83][84][85].…”

Effect of Pinus taeda Hydrolyzed Lignin on Biochemical Profile, Oxidative Status, and Semen Quality of Healthy Dogs

“…For this, TBARs, Hy, and protein carbonyls are considered biomarkers of cell damage: their increase can be generated by oxidative stress and a boost of oxygen reactive substances (ROS). Additionally, FRAP values allow an overall evaluation of plasma antioxidant capacity ( 53 , 54 ). It is well known that the dietary assumption of high amounts of substances with antioxidant activity results in the transfer of these molecules to different animal tissues, usually followed by a significant increase in their total antioxidant capacity ( 55 ), and that several polyphenolic molecules in plants possess antioxidant activities ( 23 ).…”

Spicy and Aromatic Plants for Meat and Meat Analogues Applications

“…Thyme extract might be an effective treatment of chronic respiratory diseases accompanied by the inflammation and hypersecretion of mucus [ 120 ]. Previous studies have reported that thymol demonstrates anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and immunomodulatory properties, decreased serum lipids, visceral fat accumulation, and reduced blood pressure in experimental models [ 121 , 122 ]. Thyme essential oils have exhibited antifungal and antibacterial bioactivity against both food spoilage microflora and pathogenic microflora in vitro, including B. subtilis , S. aureus , S. enteritidis , and P. aeruginosa [ 123 ].…”