Oral Administration of -A Marine Microalga-Alleviates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Rats Fed a High-Sucrose and Cholesterol-Containing Diet.

Microalgae are attracting attention as a next-generation alternative source of protein and essential fatty acids that do not consume large amounts of water or land. (. )-a marine microalga-is rich in proteins, fucoxanthin, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Growing evidence indicates that dietary fucoxanthin and EPA have beneficial effects in humans. However, none of these studies have shown that dietary . has beneficial effects in mammals. In this study, we investigated the effects of dietary . on lipid abnormalities in Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-sucrose cholesterol-containing diet. Dried was added to the control diet at a final dose of 2 or 5% (/). After four weeks, the soleus muscle weights were found to be dose-responsive to and showed a tendency to increase. The hepatic triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were significantly reduced by feeding compared to those in the control group. The activities of FAS and G6PDH, which are related to fatty acid de novo synthesis, were found to be dose-responsive to and tended to decrease. The hepatic glycerol content was also significantly decreased by feeding, and the serum HDL cholesterol levels were significantly increased, whereas the serum levels of cholesterol absorption markers (i.e., campesterol and β-sitosterol) and the hepatic mRNA levels of were significantly decreased. Water-soluble metabolite analysis showed that the muscular contents of several amino acids, including leucine, were significantly increased by feeding. The tendency toward an increase in the weight of the soleus muscle as a result of feeding may be due to the enhancement of muscle protein synthesis centered on leucine. Collectively, these results show that the oral administration of alleviates hepatic lipid accumulation in rats fed a high-sucrose and cholesterol-containing diet, indicating the potential use of as a food resource.