Ginger phytochemicals mitigate the obesogenic effects of a high-fat diet in mice: a proteomic and biomarker network analysis.

John H Beattie, Fergus Nicol, Margaret-Jane Gordon, Martin D Reid, Louise Cantlay, Graham W Horgan, In-Sook Kwun, Ji-Yun Ahn, Tae-Youl Ha

Index: Mol. Nutr. Food. Res. 55 Suppl 2 , S203-13, (2011)

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Abstract

Natural dietary anti-obesogenic phytochemicals may help combat the rising global incidence of obesity. We aimed to identify key hepatic pathways targeted by anti-obsogenic ginger phytochemicals fed to mice.Weaning mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 6-gingerol (HFG), zerumbone (HFZ), a characterized rhizome extract of the ginger-related plant Alpinia officinarum Hance (high fat goryankang, HFGK) or no phytochemicals (high-fat control, HFC) for 6 wks and were compared with mice on a low-fat control diet (LFC). Increased adiposity in the HFC group, compared with the LFC group, was significantly (p<0.05) reduced in the HFG and HFGK groups without food intake being affected. Correlation network analysis, including a novel residuals analysis, was utilized to investigate relationships between liver proteomic data, lipid and cholesterol biomarkers and physiological indicators of adiposity. 6-Gingerol significantly increased plasma cholesterol but hepatic farnesyl diphosphate synthetase, which is involved in cholesterol biosynthesis was decreased, possibly by negative feedback. Acetyl-coenzyme A acyltransferase 1 and enoyl CoA hydratase, which participate in the β-oxidation of fatty acids were significantly (p<0.05) increased by consumption of phytochemical-supplemented diets.Dietary ginger phytochemicals target cholesterol metabolism and fatty acid oxidation in mice, with anti-obesogenic but also hypercholesterolemic consequences.Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.