High consumption of
polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as
sunflower oil has been associated to beneficial effects in plasma
lipid profile, but its role on
inflammation and
insulin resistance is not fully elucidated yet. We evaluated the effect of
sunflower oil supplementation on inflammatory state and
insulin resistance condition in HFD-induced obese mice. C57BL/6 male mice (8 weeks) were divided in four groups: (a) control diet (CD), (b) HFD, (c) CD supplemented with n-6 (CD + n-6), and (d) HFD supplemented with n-6 (HFD + n-6). CD + n-6 and HFD + n-6 were supplemented with
sunflower oil by oral gavage at 2 g/Kg of
body weight, three times per week. CD and HFD were supplemented with water instead at the same dose. HFD induced whole and muscle-specific
insulin resistance associated with increased inflammatory markers in
insulin-sensitive tissues and macrophage cells.
Sunflower oil supplementation was not efficient in preventing or reducing these parameters. In addition, the supplementation increased pro-inflammatory
cytokine production by macrophages and tissues.
Lipid profile, on the other hand, was improved with the
sunflower oil supplementation in animals fed HFD. In conclusion,
sunflower oil supplementation improves
lipid profile, but it does not prevent or attenuate
insulin resistance and
inflammation induced by HFD in C57BL/6 mice.