Preventive and ameliorating effects of citrus D-limonene on dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity

D-limonene is a major constituent in citrus essential oil, which is used in various foods as a flavoring agent. Recently, D-limonene has been reported to alleviate fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet. Here we determined the preventive and therapeutic effects of D-limonene on metabolic disorders in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity. In the preventive treatment, D-limonene decreased the size of white and brown adipocytes, lowered serum triglyceride (TG) and fasting blood glucose levels, and prevented liver lipid accumulations in high-fat diet-fed C5713L/6 mice. In the therapeutic treatment, D-limonene reduced serum TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and fasting blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance, and increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in obese mice. Using a reporter assay and gene expression analysis, we found that D-limonene activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha signaling, and inhibited liver X receptor (LXR)-beta signaling. Our data suggest that the intake of D-limonene may benefit patients with dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia and is a potential dietaiy supplement for preventing and ameliorating metabolic disorders. (C) 2013 Elsevier RN. All rights reserved,