Effects of Cabbage-Apple Juice Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum EM on Lipid Profile Improvement and Obesity Amelioration in Rats

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the potential of cabbage-apple juice, fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum EM isolated from kimchi, to protect against obesity and dyslipidemia that are induced by a high-fat diet in a rat model. Male rats were fed a modified AIN-93M high-fat diet (HFD), the same diet supplemented with non-fermented cabbage-apple juice, or the same diet supplemented with fermented cabbage-apple juice for eight weeks. In the HFD-fermented cabbage- apple juice administered groups the following parameters decreased: body weight, liver and white fat pad weights, serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol, insulin, glucose and leptin levels, TG levels, while HDL-C and adiponectin levels in serum increased as compared with the HFD group. The HFD-fed rats that were supplemented with fermented cabbage-apple juice exhibited significantly lower fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and malic enzyme gene expression levels when compared to the exclusively HFD-fed rats. The anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects were marginally greater in the fermented juice administered group than in the non-fermented juice administered group. These results suggest that cabbage-apple juice-especially fermented cabbage-apple juice-might have beneficial effects on lipid metabolism dysfunction and obesity-related abnormalities. However, further studies are necessary for analyzing the biochemical regulatory mechanisms of fermented juice for obesity amelioration and lipid metabolic homeostasis.

Keywords: Lactobacillus plantarum EM; anti-obesity; cabbage-apple juice; high-fat diet; hypolipidemic.

Figure 1

Body weight changes in rats fed experimental diets for 8 weeks. Body weight was measured weekly and presented as mean ± SE (n = 8). a,b; Bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s test. Diet groups; HFD, high fat diet group: HFD-CA, HFD + cabbage-apple juice administration group: HFD-FCA, HFD + fermented cabbage-apple juice administration group.

Figure 2

Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (A), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (B), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (C), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (D) activities in rats fed experimental diets for eight weeks. Values are mean ± SE (n = 8). a,b; Bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s test. NS: No significance. Diet groups; HFD, high fat diet group: HFD-CA, HFD + cabbage-apple juice administration group: HFD-FCA, HFD + fermented cabbage-apple juice administration group.

Figure 3

Glucose (A), insulin (B), leptin (C), and adiponectin (D) levels in serum of rats fed experimental diets for eight weeks. Values are mean ± SE (n = 8). a,b; Bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s test. NS: No significance. Diet groups; HFD, high fat diet group: HFD-CA, HFD + cabbage-apple juice administration group: HFD-FCA, HFD + fermented cabbage-apple juice administration group.

Figure 4

Hepatic triglyceride (A) and total cholesterol (B) levels, representative anatomical views (C), and histopathological analysis (D) in rats fed experimental diets for 8 weeks. All sections were stained with Oil Red O, ×100. Values are mean ± SE (n = 8 rats per group). a,b; Bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s test. Diet groups; HFD, high fat diet group: HFD-CA, HFD + cabbage-apple juice administration group: HFD-FCA, HFD + fermented cabbage-apple juice administration group.

Figure 5

mRNA expression levels of enzymes related to lipid synthesis (A) in livers of rats fed experimental diets for eight weeks. The mRNA expression levels of FAS (B), ACC (C), G6PDH (D), and malic enzyme (ME) (E) were measured by RT-PCR. In the determination of mRNA levels, β-actin served as a loading control. Values are mean ± SE (n = 8 rats per group). a,b; Bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s test. Diet groups; HFD, high fat diet group: HFD-CA, HFD + cabbage-apple juice administration group: HFD-FCA, HFD + fermented cabbage-apple juice administration group.

Figure 6

Epidydimal triglyceride content (A), representative findings (B), and adipocyte size (C) in rats fed experimental diets for 8 weeks. Epididymal fat tissues were visualized by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Adipocyte size was measured using a microscope and quantified using an image analyzer. Values are mean ± SE (n = 8 rats per group). a,b; Bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s test. Diet groups; HFD, high fat diet group: HFD-CA, HFD + cabbage-apple juice administration group: HFD-FCA, HFD + fermented cabbage-apple juice administration group.