Gene and Protein Accumulation Changes Evoked in Porcine Aorta in Response to Feeding with Two Various Fructan Sources

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Inulin-type fructans (ITFs), one of the best studied and most well-established prebiotic carbohydrates, have been shown to exert many health benefits to the host, including improvement in cardiovascular function. Various mechanisms are known to be involved in these processes, such as reduction of blood lipid levels by altering hepatic de novo lipogenesis, enhanced lipoprotein lipase activity in muscle, increased intestinal short-chain fatty acid production, elevated fecal excretion of bile salts and cholesterol and increased production of nitric oxide, known as endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Therefore, our overall aim was to assess the impact of complementary feeding with 4% of dried chicory root or 2% of native inulin on the aortic protein and gene changes in healthy nursery pigs. Our data clearly indicate that dietary inulin-type fructans have the potential to influence several structural and physiological alterations that are reflected both in the mRNA and protein levels in porcine aorta. ABSTRACT: In this study, two different ITFs sources were incorporated into a cereal-based diet to evaluate possible aortic protein and gene changes in nursery pigs. The animals were fed two different experimental diets from the 10th day of life, supplemented with either 4% of dried chicory root (CR) or with 2% of native inulin (IN). After a 40-day dietary intervention trial, pigs were sacrificed at day 50 and the aortas were harvested. Our data indicate that dietary ITFs have the potential to influence several structural and physiological changes that are reflected both in the mRNA and protein levels in porcine aorta. In contrast to our hypothesis, we could not show any beneficial effects of a CR diet on vascular functions. The direction of changes of several proteins and genes may indicate disrupted ECM turnover (COL6A1 and COL6A2, MMP2, TIMP3, EFEMP1), increased inflammation and lipid accumulation (FFAR2), as well as decreased activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (TXNDC5, ORM1). On the other hand, the IN diet may counteract a highly pro-oxidant environment through the endothelin–NO axis (CALR, TCP1, HSP8, PDIA3, RCN2), fibrinolytic activity (ANXA2), anti-atherogenic (CAVIN-1) and anti-calcification (LMNA) properties, thus contributing to the maintenance of vascular homeostasis.