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Sexual dimorphism of lipid metabolism in very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficient (VLCAD-/-) mice in response to medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).

Biochimica et biophysica acta
July 1, 2015
Sara Tucci et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tAnimal Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to investigate the sex-specific effects of long-term MCT supplementation on lipid metabolism and metabolic syndrome in mice with VLCAD deficiency.

Results Summary

Long-term MCT supplementation altered glucose homeostasis and induced severe metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hepatic and visceral steatosis) in female VLCAD-deficient mice, while males showed milder insulin resistance. The highly saturated MCT diet decreased hepatic SCD1 activity in females, worsening metabolic effects.

Population

VLCAD-deficient mice (both sexes)

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

1 year

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
long-term MCT diet
neutral
glucose homeostasis
mice with very-long-chain-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency
-
induced a marked alteration
#1
long-term MCT diet
increase
metabolic syndrome
VLCAD-/- female mice
-
developed a severe metabolic syndrome characterized by marked insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, severe hepatic and visceral steatosis
#2
long-term MCT diet
increase
insulin resistance
VLCAD-/- males
-
seemed to be protected and only presented with milder insulin resistance
#3
highly saturated MCT diet
decrease
hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) activity
females
-
is associated with a decreased
#4
long-term MCT supplementation
neutral
lipid metabolism
mice
-
deeply affects
#5
long-term MCT supplementation
increase
metabolic syndrome
female mice
-
resulting in a severe metabolic syndrome
#6
-
increase
first signs of insulin resistance
female VLCAD-/- mice during their reproductive period
-
already occur
#7
Abstract

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are widely applied in the treatment of long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders. Previously it was shown that long-term MCT supplementation strongly affects lipid metabolism in mice. We here investigate sex-specific effects in mice with very-long-chain-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency in response to a long-term MCT modified diet. We quantified blood lipids, acylcarnitines, glucose, insulin and free fatty acids, as well as tissue triglycerides in the liver and skeletal muscle under a control and an MCT diet over 1 year. In addition, visceral and hepatic fat content and muscular intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) were assessed by in vivo(1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) techniques. The long-term application of an MCT diet induced a marked alteration of glucose homeostasis. However, only VLCAD-/- female mice developed a severe metabolic syndrome characterized by marked insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, severe hepatic and visceral steatosis, whereas VLCAD-/- males seemed to be protected and only presented with milder insulin resistance. Moreover, the highly saturated MCT diet is associated with a decreased hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) activity in females aggravating the harmful effects of a saturated MCT diet. Long-term MCT supplementation deeply affects lipid metabolism in a sexual dimorphic manner resulting in a severe metabolic syndrome only in female mice. These findings are striking since the first signs of insulin resistance already occur in female VLCAD-/- mice during their reproductive period. How these metabolic adaptations are finally regulated needs to be determined. More important, the relevance of these findings for humans under these dietary modifications needs to be investigated.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Long-ChainAnimalsDiet, High-FatFemaleLipid MetabolismMaleMetabolic SyndromeMiceMice, Inbred C57BLSex FactorsStearoyl-CoA DesaturaseTriglycerides
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety40
Efficacy70/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations18
Citations/Year1.8
Relative Citation Ratio0.75
NIH Percentile39.7%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score1.30
Normalized Score0.60
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