A simple method for inducing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis with fibrosis

[摘要] Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly occurring in sedentary people, and may progress to NASH and hepatocellular carcinoma. It is es‐ sential to design affordable animal models for the study of various diseases, including fatty liver, which was the aim of the study. In this study, a high‐fat diet was devised that triggers NASH's animal model quickly and easily. High‐fat diet (HFD) was used both with intra‐mouth oral gavage and in combination with animal pellets. Methods: Twenty‐four male C57BL/6J mice were divided into HFD and ND groups, which received a high‐fat diet and a normal diet, respectively. At the end of the ex‐ periment (fourth week of treatment), body and liver weights, biochemical param‐ eters, PPAR‐α gene expression and histopathologic characteristics of the liver were evaluated. Results: During 4 weeks, body weight of mice did not show a significant increase in the HFD group compared to the ND group, while weight gain of the liver was signifi‐ cant. Histological assessment of the HFD group's liver confirmed NASH symptoms. In the HFD group, HDL‐c, SOD, catalase, FRAP, adiponectin, and PPAR‐α decreased significantly, and lipid profiles, hepatic enzymes, MDA, leptin, and TNF‐α showed a significant increase compared to the ND group. Conclusion: Our high‐fat diet has successfully induced all aspects of NASH with fi‐ brosis in 4 weeks, and with low cost.

[学科分类] 机械工程学

[关键词] animal model;nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD);nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH);PPAR‐α