Alkaline Mineral Complex Water Attenuates Transportation-Induced Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Dysregulation by AMPKα-SREBP-1c/PPARα Pathways

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2024-11, Vol.25 (21), p.11373
• Main Authors: Gan, Linli, Guo, Hongrui, Yang, Qiyuan, Zhou, Xueke, Xie, Yue, Ma, Xiaoping, Gou, Liping, Fang, Jing, Zuo, Zhicai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AMP-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Animals; Carnitine; Cholesterol; Enzymes; Fatty acids; High density lipoprotein; Kinases; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipids; Lipoproteins; Liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Livestock; Livestock farms; Low density lipoproteins; Male; Metabolic disorders; Metabolites; Minerals - metabolism; Oxidation; Physiological aspects; PPAR alpha - metabolism; Protein kinases; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 - genetics; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 - metabolism; Synthesis; Transportation; Triglycerides; Water - metabolism
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms252111373

Transportation, an unavoidable process in livestock farming, causes metabolic disorders in the body, which then lead to endocrine disruption, being immunocompromised, and growth suppression. Lipid metabolism dysregulation is a critical phenotype induced by transportation. The liver is a vital organ in lipid metabolism, with a role in both lipid synthesis and lipolysis. However, the specific mechanisms by which transportation affects hepatic lipid metabolism remain unclear. This study employed rats as a model to investigate the effects of transportation on hepatic lipid metabolism. Rats subjected to transportation showed altered serum lipid profiles, including decreased serum triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) immediately after transportation (IAT) and serum total cholesterol (TC) on day 3, and increasing serum TG, TC, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) on day 10. Meanwhile, fatty droplets in the liver were also reduced at IAT and increased on days 3 and 10. Notably, transportation also affected hepatic-lipid-metabolism-related enzyme activities and signaling pathways, such as increased AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα) phosphorylation and modulations in key proteins and genes related to lipid metabolism, decreased hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) activities at IAT, and increased carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 alpha (CPT-1α) at IAT and ACC and CPT-1α activities on days 3 and 10. Supplementation with alkaline mineral complex water (AMC) before and after transportation mitigated the adverse effects on hepatic lipid metabolism by modulating the AMPKα-SREBP-1c/PPARα pathway, enhancing lipid synthesis, and reducing the oxidative catabolism of fatty acids. AMC inhibited the transportation-induced activation of AMPKα and restored the balance of lipid-metabolism-related enzymes and pathways. These findings highlight AMC's potential as a therapeutic intervention to alleviate transportation-induced lipid metabolism disorders, offering significant implications for improving animal welfare and reducing economic losses in livestock farming.