The effect of high-fructose diet and probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation on NAFLD-related parameters in mice
Year: 2019
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Background: Non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of liver diseases characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver in the absence of significant alcohol intake.Today, NAFLD is the leading liver disorder in the developed world and it is common in subjects with obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.Conservative treatment is based on lifestyle modifications and there are no approved pharmacological treatments for NAFLD.Thus, there is a widely acknowledged demand for effective interventions and adjunctive treatments to enhance the treatment of NAFLD.Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to assess the effects of a high-fructose diet on the development of NAFLD by several parameters including weight, inflammatory responses and hepatic fat accumulation.Secondary aim was to elucidate the potentially beneficial role of probiotic LGG supplementation on the NAFLD outcome. Materials and methods:This study was a part of an on-going mice study concluded in the University of Hong Kong.A total of 63 Male C57BL/6N mice were fed chow, chow with 30-%-fructose water or chow with LGG and 30-%-fructose water.Weights and food intake were recorded weekly.Mice were sacrificed, and liver samples were collected at timepoints 10 and 20 weeks.Livers were weighted, sectioned for H&E staining and gene expressions of TNF-α, TLR-4, α-SMA and COL4A1 were analyzed by RT-qPCR.All statistical analysis was carried out with IBM SPSS Statistics ver.23.0.0.2 and figures were drawn with GraphPad Prism 8.Results: There were no differences intake between intervention groups in body weight gain after adjusting with food.Energy intake in Fructose group was significantly higher compared to the rest (p<0.005).Relative liver weight of Control group was lowest at week 10 (p<0.05) but weights decreased significantly in all groups by 20 weeks.In the fibrosis markers, fructose feeding downregulated expression at week 10 in α-SMA (p<0.05), a similar effect seen in TNFα expression.However, the TNF-α was upregulated after 20 weeks of fructose feeding.No difference in TLR4 expression was observed at either timepoint.Conclusion: Chronic fructose intake induces steatosis independent of obesity by the end of 20 weeks of intervention without the signs of fibrosis.Probiotic LGG does not protect from fructose induced NAFLD or consistently ameliorate the parameters of inflammation, endotoxemia or fibrosis.Further studies should focus the mechanisms behind the unexpected results.
Author: Ahmed, Hany
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7018814015