Fucoxanthin and Fucoxanthinol Enhance the Amount of Docosahexaenoic Acid in the Liver of KKAy Obese/Diabetic Mice

Abstract

This study examined the effect of dietary fucoxanthin or fucoxanthinol on the amount of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the liver of KKAy mice, a model for obese/type II diabetes. In the first experiment, mice were fed diets containing crude fucoxanthin or glyceroglycolipid for 4 weeks. Results showed a significant increase in the level of DHA in mice fed 0.53% crude fucoxanthin, from 2.3% in control mice to 5.1% of fatty acid composition of total liver lipids. On the other hand, in mice fed crude glyceroglycolipid, the level of DHA as a proportion of total liver fatty acids remained unchanged. To clarify the enhancement of hepatic DHA, in the second experiment, KKAy mice were fed a diet containing purified fucoxanthin or its deacetylated derivative, fucoxanthinol. Results from a quantitative analysis using an internal standard showed that in mice fed 0.2% fucoxanthin, the amount of hepatic DHA was 2-fold higher than in control mice, whereas DHA levels in the small intestine remained unchanged. Furthermore, 0.2% fucoxanthinol led to 1.8- and 1.2-fold increases in the amount of hepatic DHA and arachidonic acid compared to control mice, respectively. These results indicate for the first time that dietary fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol enhance the amount of DHA in the liver of KKAy mice.

Fucoxanthin promotes translocation and induction of glucose transporter 4 in skeletal muscles of diabetic/obese KK-A mice

“…We previously reported that 0.2% Fx-containing diet fed for 4 weeks markedly improved hyperglycemia of KK-A y (Hosokawa et al 2010;Maeda et al 2007). In this study, we observed that the blood glucose level of KK-A y significantly decreased compared to the control mice even after 2 weeks of feeding 0.2% Fx-containing diet.…”

“…Fx was purified from the crude seaweed lipids by silica gel column chromatography with n-hexane/acetone (8:2, v/v), as in our previous report (Tsukui et al 2007). Its purity was more than 98% by HPLC.…”

Hypolipidemic Effects of Ethanol Extracts of Citrus depressa and Annona atemoya, Typical Plant Foodstuffs in Okinawa, Japan on KKAy Mice Fed with Moderately High Fat Diet

“…Animals Female KKAy mice (5 weeks of age; Japan SLC Inc., Shizuoka, Japan), which are often used as an animal model of life style-related diseases (Nordentoft et al, 2008;Fu et al, 2008;Tsukui et al, 2007;Maeda et al, 2005), were subjected to the experiment after 1 week of acclimatization. During the period of acclimatization, animals had free access to conventional food (CE-2, CLEA Japan Inc., Tokyo, Japan) and water.…”

Nutraceutical Effects of Fucoxanthin for Obesity and Diabetes Therapy: A Review

“…Therefore, mammals must rely on a dietary supply of fish oil as a source of DHA or EPA. Dietary 0.2 fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol have been shown to enhance the amount of DHA in the liver of KK-A y mice 31 . Few natural compounds have been shown to increase hepatic DHA levels, aside from direct consumption of fish oil.…”