Association of a high-fat diet with I-FABP as a biomarker of intestinal barrier dysfunction driven by metabolic changes in Wistar rats

Background The epithelial lining of the gut expresses intestinal fatty-acid binding proteins (I-FABPs), which increase in circulation and in plasma concentration during intestinal damage. From the perspective of obesity, the consumption of a diet rich in fat causes a disruption in the integrity of the gut barrier and an increase in its permeability. Hypothesis There is an association between the expression of I-FABP in the gut and various metabolic changes induced by a high-fat (HF) diet. Methods Wistar albino rats ( n = 90) were divided into three groups ( n = 30 per group), viz. One control and two HF diet groups (15 and 30%, respectively) were maintained for 6 weeks. Blood samples were thus collected to evaluate the lipid profile, blood glucose level and other biochemical tests. Tissue sampling was conducted to perform fat staining and immunohistochemistry. Results HF diet-fed rats developed adiposity, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, dyslipidemia, and increased expression of I-FABP in the small intestine compared to the control group. Increased I-FABP expression in the ileal region of the intestine is correlated significantly with higher fat contents in the diet, indicating that higher I-FABP expression occurs due to increased demand of enterocytes to transport lipids, leading to metabolic alterations. Conclusion In summary, there is an association between the expression of I-FABP and HF diet-induced metabolic alterations, indicating that I-FABP can be used as a biomarker for intestinal barrier dysfunction.