Metabolic Effects of Dietary Apple Seed Oil in Rats

The aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid profile of apple seed oil and its effects on the caecal functions, blood lipids, and markers of antioxidant status and inflammation in rats. A nutritional experiment was performed on Wistar rats allocated to 3 groups of 8 animals each. The animals were fed with a diet containing different sources of fat: pork lard (group LA), rapeseed oil (group RO) and apple seed oil (group AO). Apple seed oil was rich in linoleic acid and oleic acids (57 % and 32.3 % of total fatty acids, respectively). The short chain fatty acid concentration in the caecal digesta was comparable among all groups, whereas the ammonia concentration was lower in groups AO and RO than in group LA (0.32 and 0.3, respectively vs 0.42 mg/g). The plasma alanine (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities also decreased in the AO and RO groups (ALT, 19.34 and 19.81, respectively vs 30,7 U/L and AST, 115.1 and 107, respectively vs 138.3 U/L) The plasma triacylglycerols (TG) concentration and the atherogenic index (ATI) of plasma were significantly decreased in the AO group compared to the LA group (TG, 1.79 vs 2.62 mmol/L and ATI, 0.095 vs 0.313). Apple seed oil is a valuable source of unsaturated fatty acids and its dietary addition has slightly better metabolic effects on rat organism than does rapeseed oil.