title: Wax esters from the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus reduce diet-induced obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders in mice.
abstract: We showed previously that dietary supplementation with oil from the marine zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus (Calanus oil) attenuates obesity, inflammation, and glucose intolerance in mice. More than 80% of Calanus oil consists of wax esters, i.e., long-chain fatty alcohols linked to long-chain fatty acids. In the present study, we compared the metabolic effects of Calanus oil-derived wax esters (WE) with those of purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ethyl esters (E/D) in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. C57BL/6J mice received a high-fat diet (HFD; 45% energy from fat). After 7 wk, the diet was supplemented with either 1% (wt:wt) WE or 0.2% (wt:wt) E/D. The amount of EPA + DHA in the E/D diet was matched to the total amount of n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the WE diet. A third group was given an unsupplemented HFD throughout the entire 27-wk feeding period. WE reduced body weight gain, abdominal fat, and liver triacylglycerol by 21%, 34%, and 52%, respectively, and significantly improved glucose tolerance and aerobic capacity. In abdominal fat depots, WE reduced macrophage infiltration by 74% and downregulated expression of proinflammatory genes (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), whereas adiponectin expression was significantly upregulated. By comparison, E/D primarily suppressed the expression of proinflammatory genes but had less influence on glucose tolerance than WE. E/D affected obesity parameters, aerobic capacity, or adiponectin expression by <10%. These results show that the wax ester component of Calanus oil can account for the biologic effects shown previously for the crude oil. However, these effects cannot exclusively be ascribed to the content of n-3 PUFAs in the wax ester fraction.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Group, Institute of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Anje C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Höper
authors.forename: Wahida
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Salma
authors.forename: Selene J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sollie
authors.forename: Anne D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hafstad
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: Ahmed M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raa
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aasum
authors.forename: Terje S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Larsen
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D052242:Adiponectin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D033342:Copepoda / Q000737:chemistry*; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004952:Esters / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000187:drug effects; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014885:Waxes / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D001688:Biological Products; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D004952:Esters; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014280:Triglycerides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014885:Waxes; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid