Spirulina supplementation improves lipid metabolism and autophagic activities in the liver and muscle of Hu lambs fed a high-energy diet.
The current study aimed to examine the effects of dietary spirulina supplementation in high-energy (HE) diets on fatty acid metabolism in sheep, and preliminarily explored the potential mechanisms underlying the associated autophagy-mediated regulation of lipid metabolism. In a 2 × 3 factorial design, including six treatment combinations of two metabolisable energy diets (10 and 11 MJ/kg DM), three spirulina supplementation levels (0, 1%, and 3%) were used. Serum alanineaminotransferase (ALT) (p = 0.003) and aspartatetransaminase (AST) (p = 0.002) activities increased, whereas total PUFA content (p < 0.001) decreased in the liver of lambs fed a HE diet. With the addition of spirulina, serum ALT (p = 0.037) and AST (p = 0.014) activities decreased, whereas EPA (p = 0.004), GLA (p = 0.019), n-6 PUFA (p = 0.005), and total PUFA contents (p = 0.019) increased. Moreover, the crude protein content in the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) increased (p = 0.013), the expression of PPARα and PPARγ was up-regulated, while ELOVL2 was down-regulated in liver and LTL (p < 0.05). Spirulina supplementation increased mRNA expression levels of autophagy-associated genes, including that of Beclin-1, AMPK, and ULK1 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, spirulina supplementation in a HE diet exerted a protective effect on the liver, increased PUFA content, and modulated expression levels of autophagy-related genes in growing lambs.
['Liang|Yaxu|Y|', 'Huang|Xinai|X|', 'Zhang|Zhen|Z|', 'Deng|Kaiping|K|', 'An|Shiyu|S|', 'Gao|Xiaoxiao|X|', 'Wang|Zhibo|Z|', 'Liu|Zhinan|Z|', 'Wang|Feng|F|', 'Liu|Dong|D|', 'Fan|Yixuan|Y|']
D000821:Animal Feed D000818:Animals D001343:Autophagy D004032:Diet D019587:Dietary Supplements D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug D050356:Lipid Metabolism D008099:Liver D008297:Male D018482:Muscle, Skeletal D011897:Random Allocation D034561:Sheep, Domestic D053545:Spirulina
Spirulina high-energy diet sheep Autophagy polyunsaturated fatty acids