The effect of CLA diet on liver gene expression

apoE-deficient mice were fed a Western-type diet enriched with linoleic acid (control), cis-9, trans-11-CLA or trans-10, cis-12-CLA (1.0 % wt/wt) for 12 weeks and their hepatic gene expression was analysed using DNA microarrays Keywords: influence of diet Three experimental designs using different genetic models as well as dietary conditions were carried out. In the first experiment, twenty nine three month-old homozygous apoE knockout male mice with a C57BL/6JxOLA129 genetic background, bred at the Unidad Mixta de Investigación, Zaragoza, were randomly assigned to a control (n=10), c9,t11-CLA-enriched (n=10) or t10,c12-CLA-enriched (n=9) diet. All mice had similar baseline plasma cholesterol concentrations. The mice were fed the different experimental semi-purified diets for 12 weeks. All three diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous; fat provided 30% of the energy intake. The control diet contained 1.0 % (wt/wt) linoleic acid while the others contained an equivalent amount of either c9,t11-CLA or t10,c12-CLA, as previously described. All diets were prepared by Unilever (Vlaardingen, The Netherlands) and stored in an N2 atmosphere at –20ºC. Fresh food was provided daily