The antioxidative effects of the bioactive compounds enriched
sesame oil (e.g.
lignans and
tocopherols) are well established. This study aims to elucidate whether
sesame oil could reduce renal oxidative stress induced by a high fat diet (HFD). Mice received HFD for 12 weeks (n=7 per group), which was prepared by adding 20% (w/w)
lard (
lard group) or
sesame oil (sesame group) to the chow diet, respectively. Compared with mice in the
lard group, renal
lipid levels of those in the sesame group were reduced, shown by decreases in
protein expression of
transcription factors and
enzymes involved in
fatty acid synthesis (
sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and
acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase α) and an increase in β-oxidation (
peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and
carnitine palmitoyltransferase I) (P<0.05). In the sesame group, levels of
peroxynitrite and
thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were also reduced, whereas the level of
glutathione was increased. In addition, there was elevated
protein expression levels of
antioxidant enzymes regulated by nuclear factor-like 2, such as
superoxide dismutase,
glutathione peroxidase, and
glutathione S-transferase (P<0.05), and decreased expression for
nuclear factor kappa B and
cyclooxygenase 2 (P<0.05). These results suggest that
sesame oil could ameliorate HFD-induced renal damage by suppressing oxidative stress and
inflammation.