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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1431649

Walnut oil prevents hyperlipidemia induced by high-fat diet and regulates intestinal flora and liver metabolism

Provisionally accepted
Rui Yang Rui Yang 1Dan Chen Dan Chen 2Yanling Chen Yanling Chen 1Yage Ma Yage Ma 1Chaoyin Chen Chaoyin Chen 3Shenglan Zhao Shenglan Zhao 1*
  • 1 Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
  • 2 Yunnan Institute of Tobacco Quality Inspection and Supervision, Kunming, China
  • 3 Kunming University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective This study aims to investigate the preventive effect of walnut oil as medicinal food on abnormal lipid metabolism and its influence on liver metabolites and intestinal flora. Methods The rat model of abnormal lipid metabolism was established by feeding high-fat diet and administering a high-fat emulsion via gavage. The rats were randomly assigned to one of the five groups: the normal group (ND), the model group (HFD), and three walnut oil intervention groups differing in dosage [low-dose(OL, 2.5 g/kg.BW/day), medium-dose (OM, 5 g/kg.BW/day) and high-dose (OH, 10 g/kg.BW/day)]. Modeling and administration were performed simultaneously for 10 weeks. After the last administration, the serum and organs of the animals were collected under anesthesia, and the organ index was analyzed. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. A histopathological examination of the liver was performed, and the intestinal flora was detected by Illumina technology. Results Compared to the HFD group, each walnut oil intervention group showed a relatively reduced degree of liver swelling and a significant decrease in fat vacuoles within the cytoplasm. Levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while HDL-C levels were increased (P<0.05), along with a significant increase in the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) content in serum. These findings indicated that walnut oil could improve the blood lipid profile in hyperlipidemia-model rats. The results of intestinal flora showed that at the genus level, there were significant increases in the relative abundance of Collinsella and Blautia (P<0.01) while significant decreases of Oscillospira and Allobaculum (P<0.01) in the HFD group vs the ND group. However, these flora changes were impeded although only Collinslla (P<0.05) in the OL group. Metabonomics analysis identified that a total of 19 potential biomarkers were screened out from the differential metabolites with |log2FC|>1, VIP>1 and P<0.05. Conclusions Walnut oil can significantly prevent hyperlipidemia caused by high-fat diet.

    Keywords: walnut oil, Abnormal lipid metabolism, Metabolome, intestinal flora, high-fat diet

    Received: 14 May 2024; Accepted: 24 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Chen, Chen, Ma, Chen and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shenglan Zhao, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.