Gum Arabic supplementation improved antioxidant status and alters expression of oxidative stress gene in ovary of mice fed high fat diet

Obesity is a global health concern associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic strategies include surgery and synthetic drugs, and may cause high costs and serious complications. Gum Arabic (GA, Acacia senegal) considered as a dietary fiber that reduces body fat deposition. Yet, the effect of the GA on reproductive functions in high fat diet remains unclear. In this study, we fed mice either a normal diet (control), low fat diet (low), high fat diet (high) or a high fat diet supplemented with 10% w/w GA (high + gum) for 12 weeks. Body weight, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), plasma lipid profile and blood glucose were determined. Ovarian antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the measurement of antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes activity. Moreover, ovarian histopathological changes and oxidative stress related genes mRNA were measured. GA treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) compared to low, HFD and control groups. The treatment of GA significantly (P < 0.05) decreased ovary MDA, plasma total cholesterol, LDL-c and triglyceride concentrations whereas, increased HDL-c concentrations compared to low, HFD and control groups. SOD and GPx mRNA expression were significantly increased in GA group compared to low, HFD and control groups. Ovaries of all HFD mice showed marked degeneration whereas, slight degeneration was observed in GA treated mice compared to low, HFD and control groups. Our findings suggest that GA may protect ovaries by improvement of antioxidant capacity; thus, it may be useful to ameliorate the fertility complications in obese patient.