Background: The higher occurrence of NAFLD is associated with insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes. A diet with high fat or sucrose serves as a NAFLD inducer in rats, which exhibits significant variability and generally results in low levels of liver inflammation and fibrosis. Our study highlights the role of combining animal fats with high sucrose in inducing NAFLD in
Wistar rats.
Methods: Twenty male
Wistar rats, ۸ to ۱۰ weeks old, were randomly divided into two groups: Control (healthy) and NAFLD induction. Weekly weight changes were recorded. After one week of adapted feeding, a ۳۰% vegetable oil and ۱۰% solid sugar diet was added to standard pellets to induce the NAFLD model. After ten weeks, the weight/time of progression of each mouse was measured. Serum and tissue samples were separated and stored for biochemical and histopathological studies. Comparisons were made using independent t-test for two groups with SPSS version ۲۲. The significance level was set at ۰.۰۵.
Results: Our results illustrated that weight/time progress increased in the NAFLD-induced group (۰.۶۷۹ g ± ۰.۰۲, P < ۰.۰۰۱) more than in the control group (۰.۵۵۹ g ± ۰.۰۳). Additionally, FBS (P = ۰.۰۰۱), lipid profile [TG/HDL (P = ۰.۰۰۶), LDL/HDL (P = ۰.۰۳), Chol/HDL (P = ۰.۰۰۶), TG (P = ۰.۰۰۵), CHOL (P = ۰.۰۰۱), LDL (P = ۰.۰۰۸), VLDL (P = ۰.۰۰۵), HDL (P = ۰.۰۱)], liver function enzymes [ALT (P = ۰.۰۰۱), AST (P = ۰.۰۰۱)[ and IL-۶ serum levels were significantly increased in the NAFLD-induced group compared to control rats (P = ۰.۰۰۱). Besides, the obtained results illustrated that the serum level of albumin was significantly decreased in NAFLD-induced rats compared to controls (P = ۰.۰۰۴). Moreover, Oil Red and H&E staining confirmed grade two steatosis induction.
Conclusion: Our study demonstrates significant metabolic abnormalities and steatosis in NAFLD-induced rats, underscoring the detrimental impact of this disease on liver function and overall health. These findings highlight the urgent need for further research into effective interventions for NAFLD.
