Pleiotropic protective effects of Vitamin D against high fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats: One for all

Several lines of evidence point to the association of vitamin D deficiency with the different components of metabolic syndrome. Yet, the effect of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic syndrome is not clearly elucidated. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that administration of vitamin D, either alone or in combination of metformin can improve metabolic and structural derangements associated with metabolic syndrome. Fifty wistar rats were randomly assigned to serve either as normal control (10 rats) or metabolic syndrome rats, by feeding them with a standard or a high fat diet (HFD), respectively. Metabolic syndrome rats were further assigned to receive either vehicle, Metformin (100 mg/Kg orally), vitamin D (6 ng/Kg SC.) or both, daily for 8 weeks. Body weight, blood pressure, serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, lipid profile, oxidative stress, serum uric acid and Ca+2 were assessed at the end of the study. Histopathological examination of hepatic, renal and cardiac tissues were also performed. Treatment with vitamin D was associated with a significant improvement of the key features of metabolic syndrome namely obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia with a neutral effect on Ca+2 level. When combined with metformin, most of the other metabolic abnormalities were ameliorated. Furthermore, a significant attenuation of the associated hepatic steatosis was observed with vitamin D as well as vitamin D/metformin combination. In conclusion, vitamin D can improve hypertension, metabolic and structural abnormalities induced by HFD, and it provides additional benefits when combined with metformin. Therefore, vitamin D could represent a feasible therapeutic option for prevention of metabolic syndrome.