Melon juice concentrate supplementation in an animal model of obesity: Involvement of relaxin and fatty acid pathways

Chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress associated with obesity induce molecular changes in extracellular matrix connected to relaxin pathway and fibrosis, the lipidome of various tissues and the level of lipid mediators. Increase of desaturase enzymatic activity and activation of the inflammatory mediator cascades are known to be associated with obesity. Decrease of enzymatic antioxidant defenses is strictly involved. The effects of a 10 days supplementation of encapsulated melon juice concentrate rich in superoxide dismutase were studied in Zucker Fat rats compared with Zucker Lean rats, following relaxin pathways, lipid mediators and fatty acid-based lipidomic analysis in adipose tissue and erythrocytes. Significant ameliorations in obese rats concerned the restored relaxin levels, connected with fibrosis reduction, the reduction of inflammatory mediators and a favorable fatty acid remodeling, with the decrease of unsaturated fatty acids in the lipidome of adipose tissue and erythrocytes becoming closer to the lipidome of normal rats.