Phytol, a branched-chain fatty alcohol, is the naturally occurring precursor of phytanic and pristanic acid, branched-chain fatty acids that are both ligands for the nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha). To investigate the metabolism of phytol and the role of PPARalpha in its regulation, wild-type and PPARalpha knockout (PPARalpha-/-) mice were f...

BACKGROUND This study examines the impact of dietary fatty acids on regulation of gene expression in mammary epithelial cells before and during puberty. METHODS Diets primarily consisted of n-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil), n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (safflower), saturated acids (butter), and the reference AIN-93G diet (soy oil). The dietary regimen mimics the repetitive natur...

Morgan DH, Ghribi O, Hui L, Geiger JD, Chen X. Cholesterolenriched diet disrupts the blood-testis barrier in rabbits. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 307: E1125–E1130, 2014. First published October 21, 2014; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00416.2014.—About 15% of heterosexual couples in the USA suffer from infertility issues; male infertility accounts for 50% of all infertility cases and roughly 50% of male...

Enhancement of intestinal IgA responses is a primary strategy in the development of oral vaccine. Dietary fatty acids are known to regulate host immune responses. In this study, we show that dietary palmitic acid (PA) and its metabolites enhance intestinal IgA responses. Intestinal IgA production was increased in mice maintained on a PA-enriched diet. These mice also showed increased intestinal...

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of olive oil (00) enriched diet on the lipid content of mice brain during the early phase of liver regeneration and to test a relationship of these changes with calcium content. C57BI mice were fed over 21 days with diet enriched with olive oil, containing predominantly oleic acid (18:1n-9). The animals were one-third partially hepatectomis...

A new fatty liver model is described in which heredity plays a major role. A marked fatty liver develops when the homozygous mutant Zucker rat (ff or "fatty") is fed a semi-synthetic diet enriched in sucrose. Lean littermates do not develop fatty livers on this experimental diet. Even old ff rats do not develop fatty livers on chow; the experimental diet is required. The fatty liver is describe...