Consumption of salmon fishmeal increases hepatic cholesterol content in obese C57BL/6 J mice

By-products from farmed fish contain large amounts of proteins and may be used for human consumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate cardiometabolic effects and metabolic tolerance in mice consuming fishmeal from salmon by-products, salmon filet or beef.

Female C57BL/6J mice were fed chow, as a healthy reference group, or a high-fat diet for 10 weeks to induce obesity and glucose intolerance. Obese mice were subsequently given isocaloric diets containing 50% of the dietary protein from salmon fishmeal, salmon filet or beef for 10 weeks. Mice were subjected to metabolic phenotyping, which included measurements of body composition, energy metabolism in metabolic cages and glucose tolerance. Lipid content and markers of hepatic toxicity were determined in plasma and liver. Hepatic gene and protein expression was determined with RNA sequencing and immunoblotting.

Mice fed fishmeal, salmon filet or beef had similar food intake, energy consumption, body weight gain, adiposity, glucose tolerance and circulating levels of lipids and hepatic toxicity markers, such as p-ALT and p-AST. Fishmeal increased hepatic cholesterol levels by 35-36% as compared to salmon filet (p = 0.0001) and beef (p = 0.005). This was accompanied by repressed expression of genes involved in steroid and cholesterol metabolism and reduced levels of circulating Pcsk9.

Salmon fishmeal was well tolerated, but increased hepatic cholesterol content. The high cholesterol content in fishmeal may be responsible for the effects on hepatic cholesterol metabolism. Before introducing fishmeal from salmon by-products as a dietary component, it may be advantageous to reduce the cholesterol content in fishmeal.