title: Ellagic acid attenuates high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fruits and nuts may prevent or reverse common human health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension; together, these conditions are referred to as metabolic syndrome, an increasing problem. This study has investigated the responses to ellagic acid, present in many fruits and nuts, in a diet-induced rat model of metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight- to nine-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into four groups for 16-week feeding with cornstarch diet (C), cornstarch diet supplemented with ellagic acid (CE), high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H) and high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet supplemented with ellagic acid (HE). CE and HE rats were given 0.8 g/kg ellagic acid in food from week 8 to 16 only. At the end of 16 weeks, cardiovascular, hepatic and metabolic parameters along with protein levels of Nrf2, NF-κB and CPT1 in the heart and the liver were characterised.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats developed cardiovascular remodelling, impaired ventricular function, impaired glucose tolerance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with increased protein levels of NF-κB and decreased protein levels of Nrf2 and CPT1 in the heart and the liver. Ellagic acid attenuated these diet-induced symptoms of metabolic syndrome with normalisation of protein levels of Nrf2, NF-κB and CPT1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ellagic acid derived from nuts and fruits such as raspberries and pomegranates may provide a useful dietary supplement to decrease the characteristic changes in metabolism and in cardiac and hepatic structure and function induced by a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Sunil K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Panchal
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology; D002334:Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase / Q000032:analysis; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004610:Ellagic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D005638:Fruit; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000503:physiopathology; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000032:analysis; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000032:analysis; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D009754:Nuts; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; D016328:NF-kappa B; C495637:Nfe2l2 protein, rat; D004610:Ellagic Acid; D002334:Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase