Hepatolipidemic effects of naringenin in high cornstarch- versus high coconut oil-fed rats.

The effects of naringenin (Nar) on hepatic neutral and polar lipids were examined in rats that were fed either a high (27.98%) cornstarch (CornS) or a high (19.05%) coconut oil (CocoO) diet, with or without supplementation with 0.60% NAR, for 40 days. Liver weights and total, neutral, and polar lipids were significantly increased following the feeding of CocoO (P <.01) when compared with the CornS-fed rats. Furthermore, significant elevations in liver weight and total neutral lipids were observed (P <.01) with the CornS-Nar compared with the CornS diet; cholesterol esters (CE), CE:cholesterol (CE:C) ratio, triglycerides (TG), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were significantly increased (P <.01). When Nar was added to the CocoO diet, liver protein, total lipids, and total neutral and polar lipids were significantly decreased (P <.01). Of the neutral lipids, CE, CE:C ratio, TG, free fatty acids (FFA), mono- and diglycerides (P <.01), and C (P <.05) were significantly decreased. CE and TG were more significantly decreased than C, while FFA decreased most markedly (P <.01). Of the hepatic polar lipids, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine and -inositol, PE, and phosphatidic acid were significantly elevated (P <.001) following the feeding of the high CocoO diet compared with the high CornS diet. When Nar was added to the CornS diet, PE was significantly elevated (P <.01), and the outer membrane to inner membrane lipids ratio was significantly decreased (P <.01). When Nar was added to the CocoO diet, all of the polar lipids examined were significantly decreased when compared with the CocoO diet (P <.01). Dietary Nar supplementation significantly reduced both hepatic neutral and polar lipids in rats fed a high CocoO diet, but not in the CornS-fed rats.