Effect of camu-camu fruit phenolic compounds (Myrciaria dubia H. B. K. Mc Vaugh) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice.

Author(s)

Luana Jorge de Sousa

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ)
• Defense date: 2016-10-27

Examining board members

Maria Ines Genovese; Bruno Cogliati; Isabela Rosier Olimpio Pereira

• Advisor: Maria Ines Genovese

Abstract

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in recent years, affecting billions of people worldwide. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic disorder induced by the metabolic changes caused by obesity and its incidence has been growing increasingly. Alternatives designed to reduce such changes are crucial to minimize their impact on the population´s quality of life and countries economy. Several studies have shown that food bioactive compounds have beneficial effects on health. Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (H. B. K.) Mc Vaugh) is a native fruit from Amazonan, with unexplored agroeconomic potential, which contains a large number of phytochemical compounds that can act on body metabolism. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the effect of the phenolic compounds of camu-camu in the development of NAFLD in C57BL/6 mice fed with a lipid and saccharose-rich diet (HFS). The phenolic compound-rich extract was obtained from the commercial pulp of this fruit using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC/DAD). The resulting extracts were tested at 7 mg and 14 mg gallic acid equivalents/kg body weight. The effects of these compounds on glucose and lipid homeostasis were investigated by serum analyses, insulin and glucose tolerance tests and intrahepatic content of glycogen and triacylglycerol. Camu-camu extract presented flavonols, ellagic acid and ellagitannins in its composition. Supplementation with camu-camu phenolic extract decreased glucose intolerance, regardless the dose, improved insulin sensitivity and normalized the intra-hepatic glycogen content at the highest dose. No effects on plasma lipid were found. However, an improvement in liver function due to the decrease in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was observed, suggestive of cell damage, regardless the dose. Moreover, the supplementation with phenolic extracts of camu-camu at the highest dose decreased the intrahepatic content of triacylglycerol (p = 0.0001) and inflammatory biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.0359) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) (p = 0.004). Such effects were primarily associated with lower food intake. Therefore, in this study, the phenolic compounds of camu-camu have shown to be effective in preventing the progression of NAFLD in mice fed with HFS (high-fat/sucrose) diet. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/14625-5 - Effect of phenolic compounds from the fruit camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia HBK McVaugh) in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in mice
• Grantee: Luana Jorge de Sousa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master