Nostoc sphaeroids Kütz powder ameliorates diet-induced hyperlipidemia in C57BL/6j mice

BACKGROUND: Hypercholesterolemia is a disease associated with numerous health problems. Growing evidence indicates that hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia is closely linked to chronic inflammation, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Nostoc sphaeroids Kütz (NO) on diet-induced hyperlipidemia in mice. DESIGN: At first, experimental animals received a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks, and then received a HFD supplemented with 2.5% or 7.5% NO for 6 weeks. In the current study, results show that treatment with NO decreases weight gain and liver index induced by HFD. In addition, the serum levels of TC, TG and LDL are significantly decreased in NO treatment groups. RESULTS: From the results of Oil Red staining and Hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), treatment with NO significantly reduces liver lipid accumulation and protect liver structure. Further analysis reveals that NO has positive effects on liver lipid metabolism and inflammation, as showed by the lower protein expressions of FAS and SREBP-1, the lower concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and the lower gene expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and NF-kB. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that NO may significantly ameliorate diet-induced hyperlipidemia, which is possibly associated with improving liver lipid metabolism and reducing chronic inflammation.