A Simple Method for Inducing Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis With Fibrosis Publisher Pubmed



Yahaghi L¹ ; Ebrahimhabibi A^{2, 3} ; Hayatiroodbari N¹ ; Irani S¹ ; Yaghmaei P¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Animal Models and Experimental Medicine Published:2019

Abstract

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly occurring in sedentary people, and may progress to NASH and hepatocellular carcinoma. It is essential 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 experiment (fourth week of treatment), body and liver weights, biochemical parameters, 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 significant. 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 fibrosis in 4 weeks, and with low cost. © 2019 The Authors. Animal Models and Experimental Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Chinese Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences.