Soy Lecithin in High-Fat Diets Exerts Dual Effects on Adipose Tissue Versus Ileum

ScopeLipopolysaccharides and their transporters, LBP and sCD14, are involved in systemic inflammation following a high-fat diet. Natural emulsifiers such as soy lecithin, rich in soybean polar lipids (SPL), are often used by the food industry but little is known about effects of associating SPL with different oils. Methods and resultsThus, this study investigates the effects of 4 weeks feeding of palm (P) or rapeseed (R) oil-enriched diets with or without SPL in mice, on white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation, on ileum permeability, and on microbiota composition. When SPL are associated with rapeseed oil, a greater gene expression of leptin and inflammation in WAT is observed compared to P-SPL. In ileum, R-SPL group results in a lower expression of TLR4, IAP that detoxify bacterial LPS and tight junction proteins than R group. In turn, the gene expression of Reg3 beta and Reg3 gamma, which have antimicrobial activity, is higher in ileum of R-SPL group than in R group. SPL in rapeseed oil increases specific bacterial species belonging to Lachnospiraceae, Alistipes, and Bacteroidales. ConclusionThe incorporation of SPL in a diet with rapeseed oil exerts differential effect on WAT and ileum, with respectively an inflammation of WAT and an antimicrobial activity in ileum, associated with specific microbiota changes.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of rapeseed oil enriched with soy lecithin (SPL) on white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation, ileum permeability, and microbiota composition in mice. The results show that rapeseed oil with SPL leads to increased gene expression of leptin and inflammation in WAT, and decreased expression of TLR4, IAP, and tight junction proteins in the ileum. However, it also increases the expression of antimicrobial activity proteins and promotes the growth of certain bacterial species.