Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins Improve White Adipose Tissue Expansion during Diet-Induced Obesity Development in Rats

Figures

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  Figure 1. Effect of the long-term administration of a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) with an obesogenic diet on the size and number of visceral adipocytes. Rats were fed either a standard chow diet (STD group, n = 10), a cafeteria diet (CAF group, n = 10), or a cafeteria diet with daily administration of 25 mg GSPE/kg BW, 100 mg GSPE/kg BW or 200 mg GSPE/kg BW (GSPE 25, GSPE 100, and GSPE 200, n = 10 per group) for 12 weeks. (a) Representative light microscopy images of retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (rWAT) stained with hematoxylin and eosin from each group; (b) Adipocyte area measured from the representative light microscopy images from each group; (c) Adipocyte volume calculated from the adipocyte area; (d) Total adipocyte number extrapolated from the size of adipocytes and the weight of rWAT; (e) Frequency of adipocyte size calculated from the adipocyte area. The values are the means ± SEM of five fields per animal from three animals of each group. Different letters indicate significant differences between groups using one-way ANOVA. Significance was considered when p ≤ 0.05.

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  Figure 2. Effect of the long-term administration of a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) with an obesogenic diet on the expression of genes related to adipogenesis and browning in retroperitoneal white adipose tissue. Rats were fed either a standard chow diet (STD group, n = 10), a cafeteria diet (CAF group n = 10), or a cafeteria diet with daily administration of 200 mg GSPE/kg BW (CAF + GSPE, n = 10) for 12 weeks. (a) Level of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Pparγ) mRNA; (b) Level of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) beta (C/ebpβ) mRNA; (c) Level of Pparγ coactivator 1 alpha (Pgc1α) mRNA; (d) Level of Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) mRNA; (e) mRNA and protein levels of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1); (f) Level of PR domain containing 16 (Prdm16) mRNA; (g) microRNA-133a levels. The values are the means ± SEM. Statistical analyses were performed using the t-test. Different letters indicate significant differences between groups when p ≤ 0.05.

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  Figure 3. Effect of the long-term administration of a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) with an obesogenic diet on the expression of genes related to adipocyte function in retroperitoneal white adipose. Rats were fed either a standard chow diet (STD group, n = 10), a cafeteria diet (CAF group, n = 10), or a CAF diet with daily administration of 200 mg GSPE/kg BW (CAF + GSPE group, n = 10) for 12 weeks. (a) Level of leptin (Lep) mRNA; (b) Level of the macrophage surface marker gene adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E1 (Adgre1) mRNA; (c) Level of fatty acid synthase (Fasn) mRNA; (d) Level of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gpdh) mRNA; (e) Level of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (Cpt1) mRNA; (f) Level of lipoprotein lipase (Lpl) mRNA. The values are the means ± SEM. Statistical analyses were performed using the t-test. Different letters indicate significant differences between groups when p ≤ 0.05.