Twelve Weeks of Oral L-Serine Supplementation Improves Glucose Tolerance, Reduces Visceral Fat Pads, and Reverses the mRNA Overexpression of Renal Injury Markers KIM-1, IL-6, and TNF-α in a Mouse Model of Obesity

Abstract

Comorbidities associated with obesity, including diabetes and kidney diseases, greatly increase mortality rates and healthcare costs in obese patients. Studies in animal models and clinical trials have demonstrated that L-serine supplementation is a safe and effective therapeutic approach that ameliorates the consequences of obesity. However, little is known about the effects of L-Serine supplementation following high-fat diet (HFD) consumption and its role in the mRNA expression of markers of kidney injury. We provide a descriptive action by which L-serine administration ameliorated the consequences of HFD consumption in relation to weight loss, glucose homeostasis as well as renal mRNA expression of markers of kidney injury. Our results indicated that L-Serine supplementation in drinking water (1%, ad libitum for 12 weeks) in male C57BL/6J mice promoted a significant reduction in body weight, visceral adipose mass (epididymal and retroperitoneal fat pads) as well as blood glucose levels in mice consuming a HFD. In addition, the amino acid significantly reduced the mRNA expression of the Kidney Injury Marker 1 (KIM-1), P2Y purinoceptor 1 (P2RY1), as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNFα). L-serine administration had no effect on mice consuming a standard chow diet. Collectively, our findings suggest that L-serine is an effective compound for long-term use in animal models and that it ameliorates the metabolic consequences of HFD consumption and reduces the elevated levels of renal pro-inflammatory cytokines occurring in obesity.

Keywords

• L-serine
• obesity
• glucose homeostasis
• weight loss
• KIM-1
• TNF-α