Biochemical and Molecular Study of the Influence of Amaranthus hypochondriacus Flour on Serum and Liver Lipids in Rats Treated with Ethanol

• Published in: Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht) 2013-12, Vol.68 (4), p.396-402
• Main Authors: López, Viviana R. Lucero, Razzeto, Gabriela S, Escudero, Nora L, Gimenez, M. Sofía
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acetyl-CoA carboxylase; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; alcohol abuse; Amaranthus - chemistry; Amaranthus hypochondriacus; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; blood serum; casein; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; cholesterol; Cholesterol - metabolism; diet; drinking water; Ecology; Esterification; ethanol; Ethanol - adverse effects; fatty liver; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - diet therapy; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - genetics; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - metabolism; Feeding. Feeding behavior; flour; Food Science; functional foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; genes; glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase; histology; hyperlipidemia; Hypolipidemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypolipidemic Agents - therapeutic use; lipid metabolism; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipid Metabolism - genetics; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; Liver - metabolism; low density lipoprotein; Male; Nutrition; Original Paper; Phytotherapy; Plant Physiology; Plant Proteins - pharmacology; Plant Proteins - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, LDL - blood; seeds; Seeds - chemistry; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0921-9668; 1573-9104
• DOI: 10.1007/s11130-013-0388-3

Hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis are frequent alterations due to alcohol abuse. Amaranth is a pseudocereal with hypolipidemic potential among other nutraceutical actions. Here we study the effect of Amaranthus hypochondriacus (Ah) seeds on serum and liver lipids, and the expression of genes associated to lipid metabolism and liver histology in male Wistar rats intoxicated with ethanol. The animals were divided into four groups; two groups were fed the American Institute of Nutrition 1993 for maintenance diet (AIN-93M), and the other two with AIN-93M containing Ah as protein source. One of each protein group received 20 % ethanol in the drinking water, thus obtaining: CC (control casein), EC (ethanol casein), CAh (control Ah) and EAh (ethanol Ah). When comparing EAh vs. EC, we found a positive effect of Ah on lipids, preventing the increment of serum cholesterol (p