(-)-
Hydroxycitric acid [(-)-HCA] is widely used as a nutritional supplement to control
body weight and fat accumulation in animals and humans, whereas the underlying biochemical mechanism is unclear. Broiler chicken was used as a model for studies of
obesity due to its natural
hyperglycemia and being
insulin resistant. The current study aimed to obtain a systematic view of serum metabolites and hepatic
proteins and well understand the mechanism of hepatic metabolic response to (-)-HCA treatment in chick embryos. The results showed that 22, 90, and 82 of differentially expressed
proteins were identified at E14d, E19d, and H1d in chick embryos treated with (-)-HCA, respectively. Meanwhile, 5, 83, and 88 of serum metabolites significantly changed at E14d, E19d, and H1d in chick embryos after (-)-HCA treatment. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the key
proteins and metabolites, which were significantly altered in chick embryos treated with (-)-HCA, were mainly involved in the
citrate cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,
fatty acid metabolism, and
pyruvate metabolism. Our data indicated that (-)-HCA treatment might promote fat metabolism via regulating the key
protein expression levels and metabolite contents in the
citrate cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and oxidative phosphorylation during chicken embryonic development. These results will deepen our understanding of the mechanism of fat reduction by (-)-HCA and provide substantial information for (-)-HCA as a nutritional supplement to control
body weight gain and curb
obesity-related diseases.