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Updated: Sep 22, 2025
Assessing Whole-Body Lipid-Handling Capacity in Mice
Published on: November 24, 2020
Effects of moderate ethanol consumption as a function of n-6:n-3 dietary ratio on lipid profile, inflammation, and
Kristine Giltvedt1, Luciano S Voutour2, Brianna Tursellino2
1School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
Objective:
It is critical to understand how moderate ethanol exposure interacts with dietary components such as essential fatty acids to influence inflammatory processes underlying CVD pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of moderate ethanol consumption and dietary n-6:n-3 fatty acid composition on markers associated with CVD in mice.
Methods:
Twenty-three C57BL/6J mice consumed an 18% ethanol solution or 26.9% maltose dextrin solution (isocaloric control) for 12 weeks. Within each group, the mice were fed either a high n-6 (n-6:n-3 = 50:1) diet or a balanced n-3 (n-6:n-3 = 1:1) diet ad libitum. Following the exposure period, serum samples were analyzed to assess lipid profile, inflammatory markers, antioxidant capacity, DNA damage, and liver function enzyme activity.
Results:
The control group gained more weight than the ethanol group (P = 0.020). In ethanol-exposed mice, HDL was significantly increased (P = 0.009). C-reactive protein (CRP; P < 0.001), high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1; P = 0.011), 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG; P = 0.019), ALT (P = 0.002) and AP (P = 0.021) were lower in the ethanol group. There was a significant main effect of the n-3 diet on total antioxidant capacity (TAC; P < 0.001) and 8-oxo-dG (P = 0.047).
Conclusion:
These findings indicate that moderate ethanol consumption and a balanced n-6:n-3 diet improve several inflammatory and lipid markers associated with CVD. Observed differences in weight gain between groups should be considered when interpreting these results.
