Ozonated Olive Oil Intake Attenuates Hepatic Steatosis in Obese db/db Mice

Chronic inflammation and insulin resistance lead to metabolic syndrome and there is an urgent need to establish effective treatments and prevention methods. Our previous study reported that obese model Zucker (fa/fa) rats fed with ozonated olive oil alleviated fatty liver and liver damage by suppressing inflammatory factors. However, differences among animal species related to the safety and efficacy of ozonated olive oil administration remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of oral intake of ozonated olive oil on lipid metabolism in normal mice and mice in the obesity model. C57BL/6J and db/db mice were fed the following AIN-76 diets for four weeks: the mice were either fed a 0.5% olive oil diet (Control diet) or 0.5% ozonated olive oil diet (Oz-Olive diet) in addition to 6.5% corn oil. The results indicated that four weeks of Oz-Olive intake did not adversely affect growth parameters, hepatic lipids or serum parameters in normal C57BL/6J mice. Subsequent treatment of db/db mice with Oz-Olive for four weeks reduced the levels of hepatic triglycerides, serum alkaline phosphatase, and serum insulin. These effects of Oz-Olive administration might be due to suppression of fatty acid synthesis activity and expression of lipogenic genes, as well as suppression of inflammatory gene expression. In conclusion, this study confirmed the safety of Oz-Olive administration in normal mice and its ability to alleviate hepatic steatosis by inhibiting fatty acid synthesis and inflammation in obese mice.