Dynamics of Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines in Experimental Animals with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Under Conditions of Hypobaric Hypoxia

Abstract

AIM: The aim of the study was to study the level of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 4 (IL-4), on a model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in experimental animals under conditions of low mountains and hypobaric hypoxia. METHODS: The study was carried out on 180 male Wistar rats, which were divided into control and experimental groups. The rats of the control group were on a standard diet. NAFLD was modeled by keeping animals on a diet (Ackermann et al., 2005) rich in fructose and fat in conditions of low mountains and hypobaric hypoxia (in a pressure chamber 6000 m above sea level) for 35 and 70 days. Total cholesterol (TC) and lipid spectrum, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were determined in all groups of animals. RESULTS: The activity of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the main group during the rise of animals in the pressure chamber increased statistically significantly on the 35th day in comparison with the low-altitude group by more than 2 times, and on the 70th day of staying at the high-altitude did not have convincing differences from the low-altitude group. The cytokine index (TNF-α/IL-4) of animals in conditions of hypobaric hypoxia on a fructose enriched diet increased by more than 1.5 times after 5 weeks, staying at an altitude for 10 weeks led to a decrease of TNF-α/IL-4 in relation to the low-mountain group, in which the opposite picture was observed - a tendency towards an increase in TNF-α/IL-4. IL-4 and TNF-α _levels were statistically significantly correlated with lipid metabolism disorders. CONCLUSION: NAFLD in animals on a special diet enriched with fructose under conditions of hypobaric hypoxia leads to deeper disturbances in the system of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and the lipid spectrum.

Interleukins: Pathogenesis in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…Notably, alterations in lipid metabolism were statistically linked with IL-4 and TNF-α levels. According to the study’s findings, NAFLD in rats fed a fructose-enriched diet under hypobaric hypoxic circumstances causes more significant disruptions in the lipid spectrum and the system of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines [ 34 ].…”