Dietary saturated fatty acids: a novel treatment for alcoholic liver disease.
OBJECTIVE
Lipid peroxidation may be important in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a saturated fatty acid-based therapy (palm oil) could decrease lipid peroxidation and alcoholic liver injury during ethanol withdrawal.


METHODS
Three groups of male Wistar rats (5 rats/group) were studied. Rats in group 1 were fed a fish oil-ethanol diet for 6 weeks; rats in groups 2 and 3 were fed a fish oil-ethanol diet for 6 weeks before treatment with fish oil-dextrose (group 2) or palm oil-dextrose (group 3) for 2 weeks. Liver samples were analyzed for histopathology, lipid peroxidation, fatty acid composition, cytochrome P450 2E1 activity, and tocopherol levels.


RESULTS
By 6 weeks, all rats had developed fatty liver, inflammation, and necrosis. Group 2 showed minimal histological improvement, whereas group 3 showed near normalization of the histology. The improvement in group 3 was associated with decreased lipid peroxidation and P450 2E1 activity. Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids were detected in group 2 than group 3. Tocopherol levels were similar among the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
A diet enriched in saturated but not unsaturated fatty acids reversed alcoholic liver injury. This effect may be explained by down-regulation of lipid peroxidation.
Nanji
A A
AA
Department of Pathology, New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sadrzadeh
S M
SM
Yang
E K
EK
Fogt
F
F
Meydani
M
M
Dannenberg
A J
AJ
D000818:Animals; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000378:metabolism
D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005395:Fish Oils; D010938:Plant Oils; D014810:Vitamin E; D000073878:Palm Oil