Thermally oxidized dietary fat upregulates the expression of target genes of PPAR alpha in rat liver.

Oxidized fats affect animal metabolism in several ways. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of dietary oxidized fats in rats at varying dietary vitamin E concentrations, the gene expression profile of the liver was monitored with an array containing 1176 binding sites for cDNAs. Rats were fed diets with a fresh fat and vitamin E concentrations of 25 or 250 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg (FF25, FF250 rats) or a fat heated at 50 degrees C for 38 d, with vitamin E concentrations of 25 or 250 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg (OF25, OF250 rats) for 63 d. Differences in gene expression were considered to be significant at a ratio of at least 1.4. In the OF25 rats, the expression of 47 genes was altered; in the OF250 rats, the expression of 37 genes was altered, and in the FF250 rats, the expression of 21 genes was altered compared with FF25 rats. In both OF25 and OF250 rats, a series of target genes of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) was upregulated. Determination of gene expression of acyl CoA oxidase and activity of catalase confirmed that oxidized fats caused peroxisome proliferation in the liver. In OF25 and OF250 rats, there was also upregulation of 12 and 5 genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and stress response, of 7 and 7 genes involved in protein metabolism, of 5 and 2 genes encoding intracellular effectors or modulators and of 5 and 6 genes, respectively, encoding activators or repressors of transcription or translation. In conclusion, this study provides indirect evidence that dietary oxidized fats cause an activation of the PPAR alpha, irrespective of the dietary vitamin E concentration. Identification of several other differentially regulated genes may be helpful to understand the effects of oxidized fats on animal metabolism.