Thylakoids reduce body fat and fat cell size by binding to dietary fat making it less available for absorption in high-fat fed mice

Abstract

BackgroundDietary thylakoids derived from spinach have beneficial effects on body fat accumulation and blood lipids as demonstrated in humans and rodents. Important mechanisms established include delayed fat digestion in the intestine, without causing steatorrhea, and increased fatty acid oxidation in intestinal cells. The objective of our study was to elucidate if increased fecal fat excretion is an important mechanism to normalize adipose tissue metabolism during high-fat feeding in mice supplemented with thylakoids.MethodsMice were randomized to receive HFD or thylHFD for 14 days (n = 14 for the control group and 16 for the thylakoid group). The effect of thylakoids on body fat distribution, faecal and liver fat content, and adipose tissue metabolism was investigated following high-fat feeding.ResultsThylakoid supplementation for 14 days caused an increased faecal fat content without compensatory eating compared to control. As a result, thylakoid treated animals had reduced fat mass depots and reduced liver fat accumulation compared to control. The size distribution of adipocytes isolated from visceral adipose tissue was narrowed and the cell size decreased. Adipocytes isolated from thylakoid-treated mice displayed a significantly increased lipogenesis, and protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), down-stream target FAS, as well as transcription factor coactivators PGC1-α and LPIN-1 were upregulated in adipose tissue from thylakoid-fed mice.ConclusionsTogether, these data suggest that thylakoid supplementation reduces body fat and fat cell size by binding to dietary fat and increasing its fecal excretion, thus reducing dietary fat available for absorption.

The effects of hydroalcoholic extract of spinach on prevention and treatment of some metabolic and histologic features in a rat model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

“…It also inhibited liver steatosis in both phases. Prescription of spinach or thylakoid increased PPAR‐ γ gene expression in liver and adipose tissue in previous studies . Activation of PPAR‐ γ by increasing adiponectin circulating levels improved insulin resistance in peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscles and adipose tissue and reduced the transfer of fatty acids to the liver .…”

“…In line with our study, Stenkula et al . showed that feeding thylakoids derived from spinach to mice on an HF diet for 2 weeks reduced body weight compared to the control . The intake of thylakoids instead of spinach and the larger sample size ( n = 16) of that study allowed them to observe this effect over a shorter time.…”

Administration of hydro-alcoholic extract of spinach improves oxidative stress and inflammation in high-fat diet-induced NAFLD rats

“…Adding HES to the diet of rats decreased food intake and led to weight loss in the prevention phase; nonetheless, we were not able to make the same observation in the treatment phase. Previous experimental studies have also shown appetite-and weight-reducing properties of HES supplementation at a dose of 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg for 14 days in one study (31), as well as administration of spinach-derived thylakoids for 2 weeks in high-fat fed mice in another (34). Moreover, in a study of overweight women receiving 5 g/d of thylakoid over a period of 12 weeks, body weight decreased (35); on the contrary, in a similar study consisting a dosage of 5.6 g/d administered during eight weeks of intervention, no weight loss was observed (36).…”

“…Elevated serum levels of CCK after a thylakoid-rich meal have been reported in several studies (16)(17)(18)(19). In one study, thylakoid intake decreased fat accumulation in the liver by increasing the gene expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in adipose tissue (20). Among extracellular matrix proteins, increased gene expression and plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) have been observed in alcoholic patients, individuals with viral cirrhosis, and especially NASH (21,22).…”

Changes of body composition and circulating neopterin, omentin‐1, and chemerin in response to thylakoid‐rich spinach extract with a hypocaloric diet in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

“…Stenkula et al observed a considerable reduction in liver fat and fat mass deposits following the consumption of thylakoid‐rich spinach leaf extract for 14 days in high‐fat‐fed mice. They reported that adipocytes isolated from visceral adipose tissue were narrowed, and cell size was also decreased when compared to controls (Stenkula, Stenblom, Montelius, Egecioglu, & Erlanson‐Albertsson, 2017). Albertsson et al reported that the reason behind the use of thylakoid‐containing spinach leaves extract to reduce obesity and body fat is that thylakoids are biological membranes that bind to dietary fats when fats are digested and, then, inhibit pancreatic lipase activity which, ultimately, prevents lipolytic enzymes activity, which is present in the gastrointestinal tract.…”