Jornal de Nutrição e Perda de Peso

Abstrato

Effect of Thylakoid Supplementation on Activities of Glucose Metabolizing Enzymes in Rats

Daisy Masih, Gurseen Rakhra and Som Nath Singh

Background and aims: Thylakoids are the photosynthetic sites present in the green plant cell which acts as appetite suppressant resulting in loss of body weight and enhancing satiety in animals and humans. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of thylakoids on body weight gain and enzymatic activity of certain enzymes of glucose metabolism.

Methods:Thylakoids from spinach leaves were isolated and freeze dried. Supplementation of spinach thylakoids to Sprague dawley male rats (n=6) at an oral dose of 0.5 g/kg body weight for 4 days was carried out. Food intake, changes in body weight of treated and control rats were monitored and enzymatic activities in liver and muscle tissues were estimated at the end of the experiments.

Results: The gain in body weight was less in treated rats in comparison with control (control 12.1 g and treated 9.6 g, p<0.05). There was a significant increase (p<0.001) in specific activities of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (control vs. treated, liver: 6 times; muscles: 11.1 times), lactate dehydrogenase (control vs. treated, liver: 5.9 times; muscles: 6.8 times), succinate dehydrogenase (control vs. treated, liver: 1.5 times; muscle: 2.5 times) and malate dehydrogenase (control vs. treated, liver: 1.4 times; muscle: 5 times).

Conclusion: Dietary intake of spinach thylakoids increase the activity of glucose metabolizing enzymes, which indicates increased utilization of substrates for energy production in addition to regulate body weight gain in rats. This may be responsible for observed beneficial effects of thylakoid supplementation.