Effect of dietary omega 3 phosphatidylcholine on obesity-related disorders in obese Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty rats

Recent reports have shown that dietary phosphatidylcholine (PC) has various beneficial biological effects. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega 3 PUFAs) have also been reported to have lipid-lowering effects in animal models and human studies. In the present study, we investigated the effect of omega 3 PUFAs containing PC (omega 3-PC) on obesity-related disorders in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rats. Rats were fed semisynthetic diets that contained either 5% corn oil and 2% egg-PC or 5% corn oil and 2% omega 3-PC for 4 weeks. During this 4 week feeding of the omega 3-PC, the OLEFT rats showed a decrease of omental white adipose tissue weight. In addition, the omega 3-PC diet significantly decreased liver weight and hepatic lipid levels in OLETF rats. These changes were attributable to the significant suppression of fatty acid synthase activity and significant enhancement in the activities of carnitine palmitoyltransferase and peroxisomal beta-oxidation. Moreover, the omega 3-PC diet reduced serum glucose levels concomitant with the increase of serum adiponectin levels. These results show that compared with egg-PC, omega 3-PC can prevent or alleviate obesity-related disorders through the suppression of fatty acid synthesis, enhancement of fatty acid beta-oxidation, and increase of the serum adiponectin level in OLETF rats.