From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2009-07-30 04:29:56 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] abstract: betacarotene causes wt gain in ferrets ( but A does slight opposite)
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
BEGIN QUOTE
Br J Nutr. 2009 Jul 27:1-9. [Epub ahead of print]
Effects of beta-carotene supplementation on
adipose tissue thermogenic capacity in ferrets
( Mustela putorius furo).
S=E1nchez J, Fuster A, Oliver P, Palou A, Pic=F3 C.
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology,=20
Universitat de les Illes Balears, and CIBER de Fisiopatolog=EDa de la=20
Obesidad y Nutrici=F3n (CIBEROBN), Edificio Mateu Orfila, Cra.=20
Valldemossa Km 7.5, Palma de Mallorca 07122, Spain.
We previously described that the intake of pharmacological doses of=20
beta-carotene (BC) resulted in higher body weight gain in the ferret=20
(Mustela putorius furo), an animal model that resembles human subjects=20
in terms of intestinal BC absorption and metabolism. These results=20
were some way unexpected considering the condition of BC as a vitamin=20
A precursor and the previous data in rodents showing these compounds=20
as thermogenic activators. Here, we aimed to characterise in the=20
ferret whether the mentioned changes in body weight could be explained=20
by changes in adipose tissue thermogenic capacity. We studied the=20
effects of 6-month supplementation with BC (0.8 and 3.2 mg/kg per d)=20
on adipose tissue morphology and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) content.=20
BC supplementation resulted in higher body weight (the high dose),=20
induced depot- and dose-dependent hypertrophy of white adipocytes,=20
decreased the amount of brown-like multilocular adipocytes in the=20
retroperitoneal depot and decreased UCP1 content in different fat=20
depots. To ascertain whether BC effects could be mediated by retinoic=20
acid (RA), 1 week supplementation with RA (0.25 and 25 mg/kg per d)=20
was also studied. RA treatment resulted in a slight decrease in=20
adiposity, decreased cell lipid accumulation and increased UCP1=20
content, suggesting that the effects of BC on thermogenic capacity are=20
not through RA. In conclusion, RA, but not BC, may have in the ferret=20
comparable effects with those described in rodents, whereas=20
differences concerning BC and RA treatments may be attributable to the=20
different BC metabolism in the present animal model with a lower=20
conversion of BC to RA compared with rodents.
PMID: 19631020
END QUOTE
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19631020
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
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