title: Alcoholic liver injury in the rat is associated with reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator-alpha (PPARalpha)-regulated genes and is ameliorated by PPARalpha activation.
abstract: Alcoholic liver disease is associated with a state of hepatic fatty acid overload. We examined the effect of ethanol and different types of dietary fat on the expression of mRNA for liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha), and peroxisomal fatty acyl CoA oxidase (FACO). Four groups of rats (n = 5) were fed intragastrically, a liquid diet with or without ethanol (10-16 g/kg/day) for 4 weeks. Pair-fed controls received isocaloric amounts of dextrose. The source of fat was either corn oil or fish oil. Ethanolfed rats developed fatty liver, necrosis, and inflammation; the changes were more severe in the fish oil-ethanol (FE) rats. PPARalpha mRNA levels were not different between groups, although there was a trend toward increased levels in ethanol-fed rats. We calculated L-FABP/PPARalpha and FACO/PPARalpha ratios as a measure of FACO and L-FABP up-regulation relative to PPARalpha expression. Both FACO/PPARalpha and L-FABP/PPARalpha ratios were significantly decreased in FE rats. However, only L-FABP/PPARalpha was decreased in corn oil plus ethanol rats. Also, the level of L-FABP/mRNA correlated inversely with the degree of fatty liver in ethanol-fed rats. Since expression of PPARalpha response genes was impaired in ethanol-fed rats, we determined whether activation of PPARalpha would normalize the PPARalpha response and prevent the pathological changes in ethanol-fed rats. Treatment with clofibrate, a PPARalpha-activating ligand, led to a marked decrease in fatty liver and complete abrogation of necroinflammatory changes in FE rats. Also, nuclear factor kappaB activation and up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cyclooxygenase-2 was also abolished in clofibrate-treated rats. We conclude that adaptive gene regulation of FACO and L-FABP by PPARalpha is impaired in ethanol-fed rats and that treatment with clofibrate, a PPARalpha ligand, prevents alcohol-induced pathological liver injury, possibly by reversing the above changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4283, USA. amin.nanji@uphs.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Amin A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nanji
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Dannenberg
authors.forename: Kalle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jokelainen
authors.forename: Nathan M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Bass
mesh_terms: D042962:Acyl-CoA Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002994:Clofibrate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; C493321:Fabp1 protein, rat; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D016328:NF-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000431:Ethanol; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D042962:Acyl-CoA Oxidase; D002994:Clofibrate