Effect of Vaccinium ashei reade leaves on lipid metabolism in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats.

The effects of blueberry leaf (BBL) on lipid metabolism were studied in obese rats. Feeding of BBL lowered levels of serum lipids and C-reactive protein and alleviated hepatic triglyceride accumulation in the rats. The hypolipidemic effect might be attributable to a reduction of lipogenesis and enhancement of lipolysis in the liver.

Effect of leptin infusion on insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism in diet-induced lipodystrophy model mice.

Background: Lipodystrophies are rare acquired and genetic disorders characterized by the complete or partial absence of body fat with a line of metabolic disorders. Previous studies demonstrated that dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) induces hepatic steatosis and hyperinsulinemia through the drastic reduction of adipocytokine levels due to a paucity of adipose tissue in mice and the pathogenesis of these metabolic abnormalities in CLA-fed mice is similar to that in human lipodystrophy. The present study explores the effect of leptin infusion on the pathogenesis of diet-induced lipodystrophy in mice.

Effect of Vaccinium ashei reade leaves on angiotensin converting enzyme activity in vitro and on systolic blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats in vivo.

The hypotensive effects of Vaccinium ashei reade (blueberry) leaves were studied in vitro and in vivo. Blueberry leaf showed a strong inhibitory effect on angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in vitro. Additionally, feeding of blueberry leaf suppressed the development of essential hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats in vivo.

Short-term feeding of conjugated linoleic acid does not induce hepatic steatosis in C57BL/6J mice.

We investigated the effect of short-term feeding of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on adipose tissue weights, liver weight, hepatic lipid metabolism, and serum lipoprotein profiles in C57BL/6J mice. Mice were fed semi-synthetic diets containing either 6%, high-linoleic safflower oil (HL-SAF) or 4% HL-SAF+2% CLA for 1 wk. Short-term feeding of CLA showed an anti-obesity effect without inducing hepatomegaly in mice.