Malay apple (Syzygium malaccense) promotes changes in lipid metabolism and a hepatoprotective effect in rats fed a high-fat diet

• Published in: Food research international 2022-05, Vol.155, p.110994-110994, Article 110994
• Main Authors: Nunes, Polyana Campos, Barbosa, Fabrizia Kelly Sousa, de Araújo Silva, Ana Karina Caminha, dos Santos Lima, Marcos, Alves, Adriano Francisco, de Magalhães Cordeiro, Angela Maria Tribuzy, Alcântara, Maristela Alves, de Albuquerque Meireles, Bruno Raniere Lins, Branco Melo, Natália Ferrão Castelo, de Souza Aquino, Jailane, Stamford, Tânia Lúcia Montenegro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anthocyanins - metabolism; Bioactive compounds; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - metabolism; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Fatty acids; Fruits; Hepatic steatosis Phenolic compounds; Lipid Metabolism; Male; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Syzygium - metabolism
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.110994

[Display omitted] •Malay apple supplementation did not improve glucose and insulin tolerance in rats.•Malay apple supplementation protected the liver from steatosis.•Malay apple supplementation increased excretion of faecal fat and bile acids.•Malay apple caused changes in the fatty acid composition of the liver and faeces. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Malay apple (MA) on the glycaemic response, lipid metabolism and liver health of rats fed a normal- or high-fat diet. Male Wistar rats were initially randomized into two groups: normal-fat diet (NF, n = 16) and high-fat diet (HF, n = 16) for three weeks. Then, they were subdivided into: normal-fat diet (NF, n = 8); normal-fat diet supplemented with MA (NFMA, n = 8); high-fat diet (HF, n = 8); high-fat diet supplemented with MA (HFMA, n = 8), continuing for another three weeks with their respective diets. Simultaneously, the supplemented groups received MA (400 mg/kg body weight) via gavage. MA contains anthocyanins (26.59 mg/100 g), catechin (2.55 ± 0.33 mg/100 g) and gallic acid (1.07 ± 0.20 mg/100 g) as the main phenolics. MA had a low-key effect on insulin and glucose tolerance, however decreased serum lipids and protected the liver from steatosis induced by the high-fat diet. HFMA rats showed changes in the fatty acid composition of the liver and faeces and decreased liver cholesterol levels (20.5%); as well as increased faecal excretion of fat (98%), cholesterol (10.5%) and bile acids (42.2%) when comparing to HF. MA supplementation reduced food and fat intake in HFMA in the last two weeks of the experiment, which may also have influenced these results. Our results suggest that MA was not able to improve glycaemic parameters, however, had hepatoprotective effect and minimizes changes in lipid metabolism caused by high-fat diet intake, which can relate mainly to the phenolic compounds present in this fruit.