Quercetin and calorie restriction improve leptin/adiponectin balance through reducing high-fat diet-induced oxidative stress in male BALB/c mice

Abstract

Throughout the recent decades, obesity has become a serious health problem that raises the risk of several diseases, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, neurological musculoskeletal disorders, and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Some strategies, such as dietary interventions, calorie restriction (CR), and the use of antioxidant compounds, have been proposed to improve quality of life in relation to obesity. The goal of this study was to characterize the effects of CR and quercetin (QUER) on obesity-induced oxidative stress (OS). Thirty 8-week-old male BALB/c mice were divided into 5 groups of six mice each: normal diet, high-fat diet (HFD), HFD + CR, HFD + QUER (15 mg kg^-1, IP), and HFD + QUER + CR. CR was applied as two fasting days with an interval of two days in a week. Catalase (CAT), Paraxonase 1 (PON1) and adiponectin (APN) were decreased in the HFD group, while the combination of QUER and CR increased these parameters. Treatment with QUER and CR improved Alanine transaminase and Alkaline Phosphatase enzyme activity and also the amount of leptin and insulin. Moreover, combined QUER and CR also reduced triacylglycerol (TAG), total cholesterol and TAG droplets in hepatocytes. Decreased OS was associated with the higher expression of NAD(P)H Quinone Oxidoreductase 1(NQO1) and reduced hepatic vacuoles in QUER and CR-HFD treated groups. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the combination of QUER and CR might exert protective impacts on obesity through alleviating OS and the regulation of metabolism.

Keywords: Calorie restriction; Catalase; High-fat diet; NQO1; Paraoxonase; Quercetin.