Date of Award

8-8-2017

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Desiree Wanders

Second Advisor

Huanbiao Mo

Third Advisor

Hang Shi

Abstract

Little is known about the ability of d-δ-tocotrienol to protect against obesity-induced inflammation. These studies were conducted to determine whether d-δ-tocotrienol inhibits highfat diet (HFD)-induced peripheral inflammation, and to explore potential mechanisms by which d-δ-tocotrienol affects inflammation. In two animal experiments, mice were fed a low-fat control diet, a high-fat control diet, or a HFD supplemented with d-δ-tocotrienol: 400 mg/kg diet (experiment #1) or 60 mg/kg body weight (experiment #2) for 14 weeks. Expression of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers was measured in liver and white adipose tissue, and phosphorylation of STAT3 was measured using western blot. d-δ-tocotrienol mitigate HFDinduced hepatic inflammation, despite having no effect on body weight, suggesting direct antiinflammatory effects of d-δ-tocotrienol independent of body weight loss. Mechanistic studies in 3T3-L1 adipocytes indicated that d-δ-tocotrienol suppresses LPS-induced inflammation through down-regulating STAT3 signaling. The potential for d-δ-tocotrienol as a treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases requires further investigation.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/10536943

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