Effect of <i>Capsosiphon fulvescens</i> on blood glucose metabolism in High fat diet-induced obese mice

Obesity is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue which is a highly active endocrine organ regulating energy metabolism.The green seaweed, Capsosiphon fulvescens (CF) is known to have anti-cancer, anti-oxidant and anti-obesity effects, but its exact mechanisms on modulating glucose metabolisms are largely unknown.In this study, we hypothesized that CF powder supplementation inhibits high fat diet-mediated obesity and aberrant glucose metabolism.To test this hypothesis, C57BL/ 6J male mice were randomly assigned to three iso-caloric diets containing either low fat diet (LF, 16% kcal from fat), high fat diets (HF, 60% kcal from fat), high fat with 5% CF powder (HF + CF, 60% kcal from fat), and fed for 6 weeks.HF significantly increased body weight, body weight gain, food efficiency ratio, and fasting glucose levels compared to LF. CF powder supplementation significantly reduced hyperglycemia, but not body weight and body weight gain.Additionally, CF supplementation modestly improved HF diet-induced hypercholesterolemia without affecting food intake.Taken together, the findings of this study indicate that CF powder supplementation may be a potential reagent for treatment of HF diet induced hyperglycemia.