Endocrine Abstracts

This study investigated the action of ferulic acid (FA) on the regulation of insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. The ICR mice were fed with HFD (45 kcal% lard fat) for 16 weeks. Over the last 8 weeks of HFD feeding, these obese mice were orally administered with FA at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg/day. At the end of all treatments, the epididymal fat, pancreas and hypothalamus were removed for analysis of biochemical parameters and expression of proteins. FA treatment significantly decreased leptin levels in fat tissue and the insulin levels in pancreas. Interestingly, treatment with FA improved the insulin sensitivity in hypothalamus, and up-regulated the expressions of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), and phosphorylated-protein kinase B (Akt) in obese mice. The histological examination showed smaller size of pancreatic islets in obese mice treated with FA compared to untreated obese mice. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential effect of FA for improving insulin function in HFD-induced obese mice. This effect is probably mediated via modulating the PI3K/Akt pathways.

Key word: Ferulic acid, insulin sensitivity, obesity