Fan Rong, Kim Judy, Kim Young-Cheul, Chung Soonkyu
Department of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 31;17(3):549. doi: 10.3390/nu17030549.
Menopause induces substantial metabolic changes, including a reduction in metabolic rate and an elevated risk of developing metabolic diseases. Fish oil (FO) supplementation has been shown to ameliorate menopause-associated metabolic risks. Hyperthermia treatment (HT) has recently gained attention for its potential to improve metabolic and immune health. However, it remains to be determined whether HT can confer metabolic benefits comparable to those of FO supplementation or enhance the metabolic benefits of FO supplementation. This study aims to delineate the distinctive and collaborative effects of HT and FO supplementation in mitigating menopause-associated metabolic dysfunction. Female C57BL/6 ovariectomized (OVX) mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 12/group) to evaluate the individual and combined effects of FO supplementation (5% /) and HT treatment. For HT, whole-body heat exposure was conducted at 40-41 °C for 30 min, 5 days per week. After 12 weeks, animals were used to evaluate the changes in glucose and lipid metabolism, obesity outcome, and inflammatory markers. The gut microbiome analysis was conducted from cecal content by 16S rRNA sequencing. Acute inflammation was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection to evaluate inflammatory responses. HT alone distinctively reduced weight gain, lowered core body temperature, and attenuated insulin resistance comparable to FO supplement in OVX mice. The collaborative effect of FO and HT was not evident in metabolic parameters but more prominent in attenuating proinflammatory responses and microbiota modulation. Our findings suggest that the combined treatment of FO supplementation and HT may serve as an effective strategy to mitigate menopause-associated immune susceptibility and metabolic dysfunction. These benefits are likely mediated, at least in part, through the reduction in inflammation and modulation of the gut microbiota.
更年期会引发显著的代谢变化，包括代谢率降低以及患代谢性疾病风险升高。已表明补充鱼油（FO）可改善与更年期相关的代谢风险。热疗（HT）因其改善代谢和免疫健康的潜力最近受到关注。然而，HT是否能带来与补充FO相当的代谢益处或增强补充FO的代谢益处仍有待确定。本研究旨在阐明HT和补充FO在减轻与更年期相关的代谢功能障碍方面的独特和协同作用。将雌性C57BL/6卵巢切除（OVX）小鼠随机分为四组（每组n = 12），以评估补充FO（5% /）和HT治疗的单独及联合效果。对于HT，在40 - 41°C进行全身热暴露30分钟，每周5天。12周后，用动物评估葡萄糖和脂质代谢、肥胖结果及炎症标志物的变化。通过16S rRNA测序对盲肠内容物进行肠道微生物群分析。通过注射脂多糖（LPS）诱导急性炎症以评估炎症反应。单独的HT在OVX小鼠中显著减轻体重增加、降低核心体温并减轻胰岛素抵抗，与补充FO相当。FO和HT的协同作用在代谢参数方面不明显，但在减轻促炎反应和微生物群调节方面更显著。我们的研究结果表明，补充FO和HT的联合治疗可能是减轻与更年期相关的免疫易感性和代谢功能障碍的有效策略。这些益处可能至少部分是通过炎症减轻和肠道微生物群调节介导的。
