Effect of thermo-oxidized soybean oil on growth rate and skeletal muscle enzyme activities in rats

Abstract

Fresh and thermooxidized soybean oil diets were fed to rats for six weeks at two supplementation levels (5% and 15%). Rats fed with thermooxidized oil showed growth depression probably as a result of gross accumulation of decomposition products in the gut of the rats thereby reducing intestinal absorption. Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and Acid Phosphatase (ACP) were assayed in the skeletal muscle of the rats. Significant decrease in activity of the enzymes was recorded starting from the second week till the end of the feeding period in the rats fed with 15% thermooxidized oil diet. The decrease in activity of the enzymes might be due to cellular damage caused by peroxides and other products of heated fat which might have inhibited the synthesis of the enzymes or allowed them to leak out of the cell. Analysis of protein content in the skeletal muscle of rats after the feeding experiment shows no significant changes. This study suggests that prolonged consumption of thermally heated Soybean oil at high level could be toxic to the living system.