(LB03-20-24) Effects of Tart Cherry and Fish Oil on Systemic Inflammation and Hepatic Fatty Acid Metabolism in Diet-Induced (B6) and Genetically Obese (TH) Mice

Objectives: The prevalence of obesity, a complex disease characterized by excessive fat mass and low-grade inflammation, continues to increase in parallel with other chronic diseases. Previous research has shown that anthocyanins and omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, in tart cherry (TC) and fish oil (FO) respectively, individually improved inflammation and metabolic dysregulations. However, very limited research has investigated the potential benefits of combined TC and FO supplementation. We hypothesize that combined TC and FO supplementation will have a more pronounced effect in reducing inflammation and improving hepatic lipid metabolism compared to TC or FO individually.

Methods: Male and female C57bl/6J (B6) and Tallyho (TH) mice were fed either a high-fat (HF) diet, HF diet supplemented with TC, FO, or their combination (TC+FO) for 14 weeks. Body weight was taken every two weeks throughout the diet intervention. Plasma and liver tissues were collected at study termination for plasma-interleukin 6 (IL6) assay by ELISA immunoassay, and liver gene expression by quantitative RT-PCR. Data was statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA using GraphPad Prism version 10.

Results: Compared to HF diet group, no treatments significantly changed body weight in either sexes or genotypes. In both B6 and TH female mice, all treatments reduced plasma IL6 levels (P < 0.05) compared to HF, which was not observed in males. In TH mice, TC reduced the mRNA expression levels of the lipogenic marker acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc, P</em> < 0.05), whereas in females, TC increased its expression (P < 0.05) when compared to HF-fed mice. Additionally, in TH females, TC+FO significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of the lipid oxidation markers, carnitine palmitoyl transferases (CPT1 and CPT2, P < 0.05), when compared to HF.

Conclusions: In summary, TC and FO supplementation led to sex and genotype-dependent effects on reducing inflammation and decreasing fatty acid synthesis in genetically predisposed obese mice, with their combination resulting in enhanced fatty acid oxidation. Further research is warranted to investigate mechanisms underlying observed improvements and their potential translation to humans.

Funding Sources: This project was funded by the USDA NIFA AFRI Award # 2019-67017-29247.