Efficiency of some Antioxidants in Reducing Cardio-Metabolic Risks in Obese Rats

Abstract

This investigation focuses on the relationship between the obesity and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and the possible amelioration effects of taurine or quercetin and their mixture on cardio-metabolic risks in obese rats. In a preliminary trial, the changes in selected biochemical blood variables which are thought to represent risk factors coincident with obesity were compared between a group of normal control male albino rats and other group suffered from obesity induced by feeding rats on fatty diet (fat 50 % diet). Also, in this study, the effects of two antioxidant nutrients on the same variables were tested and followed in order to show to what extent, these nutrients are valid to control the levels of these variables without any deleterious effects after treatment. Taurine or quercetin was daily received orally for two and four weeks in two groups of obese rats in the following doses 50 mg taurine /100g b.wt/day and 25 mg quercetin /kg b.wt/day, respectively. Another group of obese rats was getting a combination of previous mentioned nutrients. While, an obese rats group was left without any treatment and called as recovery group. All these groups were compaired with healthy rats group (Normal control rats group). Fasting blood samples were drawn at 2 & 4 weeks after the terminal of the treatments. In the first experiment, the obtained results revealed that induced obesity caused significant (p<0.001) increase of serum cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-Ch), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatin kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), resistin, endothelin-1, asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF- α) as compared with their relevant level in normal control rats group. On the other hand, induced obesity in rats caused significant (p<0.001) decrease the levels of serum total triiodothyronine (T3) and of total nitric oxide (TNO). No remarkable changes were occurred in the concentrations of serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-Ch) and total thyroxin (T4). In the second experiment, the authors studied the beneficial treatment of obese rats with taurine or quercetin and their mixture for 2 & 4 weeks. A marked correction was occurred in all previous parameters depending on the time of treatment. The best amelioration was occurred in the obese rats group which received the both antioxidants at the last interval (4 weeks). The underlining mechanisms were discussed according to available references