The hypolipidemic activity of ferulic acid isolated from hordeum vulgare through ppar- γ /sirt1/ foxo1/ lxr- α mediated signaling pathway: a biochemical study on high fat diet induced obese male sprague dawley rats

Abstract

Introduction: Whole grains are known for its medicinal properties for millennia. Numerous whole grains with antihyperlipidemic qualities have drawn attention for researchers as potential therapeutic adjuncts in lowering the incidence of cardiovascular disease. According to certain folklore and preliminary evidence, barley can lower blood body fat levels. The main goal of this study is to present scientific evidence of the lipid-lowering properties of hulled barley grain powder (HBGP) and Ferulic acid (FA), its active ingredient.

Materials and methods: Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were provided with high fat diet (HFD) to develop hyperlipidemia. Groups 1 and 2 rats were given the standard feed. Rats in groups 4, 5, 6, and 7 were fed a HFD for fourteen weeks. While Group 6 rats received 200 mg/kg body weight of FA, Group 5 rats started receiving 50% of hulled barley flour mixed into their feed in the 3rd week in addition to 50% of regular and HFD meals. Furthermore, rats in Group 7 were given 10 mg/kg body weight of Rosuvastatin. Rats were euthanized right after fourteen weeks, and mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), silence information regulator 1 (SIRT1), forkhead box factors (FOXO1), and liver X receptor alpha (LXR-α) was assessed in liver and adipose tissue (AT) samples.

Results: It had been discovered that liver and AT samples of rats supplied with HFD had fewer mRNA expressions of SIRT1, PPAR-γ, FOXO1 and LXR-α than the liver and AT samples of experimental animals. In HFD+HBGP and HFD+FA fed groups, HBGP and FA co-administration significantly (P=0.001) stimulated SIRT1, PPAR-γ, FOXO1 and LXR-α expression therefore reducing adipocyte differentiation in obese conditions.

Conclusion: From our current results, it is highly evident that HBGP and its major compound FA have hypolipidemic effect via increasing the mRNA expression of SIRT1, FOXO1, LXR-α, and PPAR-γ. The hypolipidemic outcome caused by HBGP may be explained by the presence of prominent phytochemicals like FA. FA and HBGP are undoubtedly promising drugs for the management of health issues associated with hyperlipidemia in the general human population.