Dietary sterculic oil improves the metabolic state of obese, leptin deficient ob/ob mice

Stearoyl‐CoA desaturase‐1 (SCD1) is a potential target for the treatment of obesity, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance (IR). The purpose of this study was to determine if dietary sterculic oil (SO), a natural SCD1 inhibitor, could alter these factors in leptin‐deficient ob/ob mice. Five‐week old mice were fed either a standard AIN‐93G diet or an AIN‐93G diet where 0.5% of the diet was SO. SO supplementation did not alter BW gain or food intake (p > 0.3). To assess metabolic state, insulin and glucose tolerance tests were performed on treatment weeks 7 and 8, respectively; and blood glucose area under the curve was significantly reduced in SO fed animals for both tests (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we determined that liver weight was reduced in SO supplemented animals (p < 0.05) and histological analysis of liver sections suggested this may be due to reduced liver lipid content. This hypothesis is supported by a trending (p < 0.08) reduction in the gene expression of FAS and we are verifying fat content by organic extraction. Consistent with an improved metabolic phenotype and reduced liver fat, gene expression of the macrophage markers F4/80 and CD11c were reduced in liver (p < 0.05) and expression of TNFá tended (p < 0.07) to be decreased. This study suggests SO is a potential therapeutic for the treatment of obesity‐associated hepatic steatosis and IR and demonstrates a need for additional studies.