Microarray analysis of rat hepatic gene expression identifies new genes associated with postprandial triglyceridemia

The acute response four hours after a fat load of extra virgin olive oil was investigated using DNA microarrays. Hepatic gene expression was analysed in Wistar Rats. Male rats, weighing 250- 300 g (purchased from Charles River, Barcelona, Spain), were used for experiments. Rats, housed in sterile filter-top cages (3-4 per cage), were acclimatized in a room maintained at 20ºC with a 12-h light-dark cycle for 10 days, allowed ad libitum access to water and standard chow diet (Pascual S.A., Barcelona, Spain), and fasted for 18 h before experiments. Two study groups were established: a) The control group did not receive any fat meal. The other group was fed 5 ml of olive oil (Aceites Toledo, Spain) as a bolus and sacrificed 4 hours after the feeding, respectively. This amount represents the use of a dose of 16 mL olive oil/ kg.