Histologic and Metabolic Derangement in High‐Fat, High‐Fructose, and Combination Diet Animal Models

Abstract

Background. We used high-fat (HF), high-fructose (HFr), and combination diets to create a dietary animal model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Comparison of both clinical phenotypes has not been well defined. The purpose of this study was to compare histologic and metabolic characteristics between diets in an animal model of NAFLD. Methods. NAFLD was induced in rats by feeding them HF, HFr, and combination (HF + HFr) diets for 20 weeks. The degree of intrahepatic fat accumulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress was evaluated. Metabolic derangements were assessed by the oral glucose tolerance test and the intrahepatic insulin signal pathway. Results. Body weight gain and intrahepatic fat accumulation were more prominent in the HF feeding group than in the HFr group. The expressions of NOX-4 and TLR-4 were higher in the HF and HFr combination groups than in the HF-only group. Other intrahepatic inflammatory markers, MCP-1, TNF-α, and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers, were the highest in the HF + HFr combination group. Although intrahepatic fat deposition was less prominent in the HFr diet model, intrahepatic inflammation was noted. Conclusions. Intrahepatic inflammation and metabolic derangements were more prominent in the HF and HFr combination model than in the HF monodiet model.

The differential effects of high-fat and high fructose diets on the liver of male albino rat and the proposed underlying mechanisms

“…Such weight gain is mostly due to the gradual accumulation in body fat [21]. Obesity is a key feature of the MS [2].…”

“…Hepatic fibrosis is one of the main features of NASH [21] and represents the later stages of NAFLD [34]. The degree of TG deposition is predictive of the severity of the fibrosis [34].…”

“…The rats were fed HFruD containing soybean oil to avoid the development of glucose intolerance [32]; -HFHF group: this group was given ad lib water and a diet containing 45% kcal/g of fat, 30% kcal/g of fructose [21]. Food and water were offered all the time for 6 weeks.…”

“…Moreover, high consumption of carbohydrates with or without fats increases the risk of obesity and diabetes [25]. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest sort of liver diseases in the Western countries [21]. It is the hepatic manifestation of the MS which represents the major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality [3].…”

“…Many researchers studied the effect of high-fat diet (HFD), high-fructose diet (HFruD) and high-fructose high-fat diet (HFHF) on the liver [21,22,39]. The missing data are the comparison effect of these groups i.e.…”