title: Pigs fed saturated fat/cholesterol have a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function, are insulin resistant and have decreased expression of IRS-1, PGC1α and PPARα.
abstract: The increasing incidence of insulin resistance has been linked to both increased intake of saturated fatty acids and disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We tested the hypothesis that adding saturated fat/cholesterol to the diet of growing pigs would both disrupt HPA function and cause insulin resistance. Three-month-old pigs were fed either a control (13% energy from fat) or a high saturated fatty acid cholesterol (HSFC) diet (44% energy from fat; 2% cholesterol). After 10 weeks on the diets, intravenous ACTH, insulin and glucose challenges were performed, and after 12 weeks, tissue samples were taken for measurement of mRNA and for lipid-rich aortic lesions. Plasma total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol were significantly increased in pigs fed the HSFC diet. Cortisol release during the ACTH challenge was suppressed in HSFC-fed pigs which were also more insulin resistant and glucose intolerant than controls. The HSFC diet decreased the expression of insulin receptor (IR) and insulin receptor substrate-1 in muscle and adipose tissue as well as adiponectin and adiponectin receptor 2 expression in fat. The HSFC diet decreased PGC-1α and PPARα expression in muscle but increased PPARα expression in liver. There was a trend for an increase in lipid-stained lesion frequency around the abdominal branches of the aorta in HSFC-fed pigs. We conclude that feeding increased saturated fat to pigs causes disruption in the HPA axis, insulin resistance and decreased muscle and adipose expression of genes controlling insulin signalling and mitochondrial oxidative capacity.
authors: School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK. michael.lomax@nottingham.ac.uk
authors: Michael A
authors: MA
authors: Lomax
authors: Georgios
authors: G
authors: Karamanlidis
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Laws
authors: Stephanie G
authors: SG
authors: Cremers
authors: Peter D
authors: PD
authors: Weinberg
authors: Lynne
authors: L
authors: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology*; D055504:Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004041:Dietary Fats; D055504:Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins; D047493:PPAR alpha; D015534:Trans-Activators