Saskatoon Berry Amelanchier alnifolia Regulates Glucose Metabolism and Improves Cardiovascular and Liver Signs of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats

Ryan du Preez, Stephen Wanyonyi, Peter Mouatt, Sunil K Panchal, Lindsay Brown, Ryan du Preez, Stephen Wanyonyi, Peter Mouatt, Sunil K Panchal, Lindsay Brown

Abstract

Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a potential functional food containing anthocyanins and flavonols, as well as ellagitannins and phenolic acids. We have determined the potential therapeutic effects of Saskatoon berry in diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Nine- to ten-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups. Two groups were fed on control diets, either corn starch (C) or high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H) respectively, for 16 weeks. Two further groups were fed on C or H diet for 16 weeks with Saskatoon berry powder added to the diet for the final 8 weeks (CSSK, HSSK). After 16 weeks, H rats showed symptoms of metabolic syndrome, including increased body weight, visceral adiposity, systolic blood pressure, cardiac fibrosis, plasma concentrations of triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids, and plasma activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase. Saskatoon berry intervention normalised body weight and adiposity, improved glucose tolerance, decreased systolic blood pressure, improved heart and liver structure and function with decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells, and decreased plasma total cholesterol. Further, Saskatoon berry normalised liver expression of hexokinase 1 and glycogen phosphorylase and increased glucose 6-phosphatase relative to H rats. These results suggest that Saskatoon berry regulates glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis to improve metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: Amelanchier alnifolia; Saskatoon berry; anthocyanin; flavonoid; inflammation; metabolic syndrome; obesity.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Twelve-hour indirect calorimeter data for respiratory exchange ratio and (B) heat production. End-point means with unlike superscripts differ (a or b), p < 0.05. C: corn starch diet-fed rats; CSSK: corn starch diet-fed rats supplemented with Saskatoon berry powder; H: high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats; HSSK: high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats supplemented with Saskatoon berry powder.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ileum (top row) and colon (bottom row) structure using haematoxylin and eosin stain in corn starch diet-fed rats (A,E), corn starch diet-fed rats supplemented with Saskatoon berry powder (B,F), high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats (C,G) and high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats supplemented with Saskatoon berry powder (D,H). The yellow scale bar is 100 µm (10×).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Heart histology: infiltrated inflammatory cells (top row—“iic”) using haematoxylin and eosin stain; collagen deposition (middle row—“cd”) using picrosirius red stain. Liver histology: fat vacuoles (bottom row—“fv”) using haematoxylin and eosin stain in corn starch diet-fed rats (A,E,I); corn starch diet-fed rats supplemented with Saskatoon berry powder (B,F,J); high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats (C,G,K); and high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats supplemented with Saskatoon berry powder (D,H,L). The yellow scale bar is 200 µm (20×).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Saskatoon berry supplementation on gene expression of enzymes and transcription factors involved in liver glucose and lipid metabolism. The fold change relative to C was derived from technical duplicates of liver cDNA from three rats per treatment group. Error bars are presented as standard deviations. Changes in gene expression were considered significant if the p value was <0.05.

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