title: Monounsaturated fat decreases hepatic lipid content in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of different types of dietary fats on the hepatic lipid content and oxidative stress parameters in rat liver with experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 32 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. The rats in the control group (n = 8) were on chow diet (Group 1), rats (n = 6) on methionine choline-deficient diet (MCDD) (Group 2), rats (n = 6) on MCDD enriched with olive oil (Group 3), rats (n = 6) on MCDD with fish oil (Group 4) and rats (n = 6) on MCDD with butter fat (Group 5). After 2 mo, blood and liver sections were examined for lipids composition and oxidative stress parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The liver weight/rat weight ratio increased in all treatment groups as compared with the control group. Severe fatty liver was seen in MCDD + fish oil and in MCDD + butter fat groups, but not in MCDD and MCDD + olive oil groups. The increase in hepatic triglycerides (TG) levels was blunted by 30% in MCDD + olive oil group (0.59 +/- 0.09) compared with MCDD group (0.85 +/- 0.04, P < 0.004), by 37% compared with MCDD + fish oil group (0.95 +/- 0.07, P < 0.001), and by 33% compared with MCDD + butter group (0.09 +/- 0.1, P < 0.01). The increase in serum TG was lowered by 10% in MCDD + olive oil group (0.9 +/- 0.07) compared with MCDD group (1.05 +/- 0.06). Hepatic cholesterol increased by 15-fold in MCDD group [(0.08 +/- 0.02, this increment was blunted by 21% in MCDD + fish oil group (0.09 +/- 0.02)]. In comparison with the control group, ratio of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-6/omega-3 increased in MCDD + olive oil, MCDD + fish oil and MCDD + butter fat groups by 345-, 30- and 397-fold, respectively. In comparison to MCDD group (1.58 +/- 0.08), hepatic MDA contents in MCDD + olive oil (3.3 +/- 0.6), MCDD + fish oil (3.0 +/- 0.4), and MCDD + butter group (2.9 +/- 0.36) were increased by 108%, 91% and 87%, respectively (P < 0.004). Hepatic paraoxonase activity decreased significantly in all treatment groups, mostly with MCDD + olive oil group (-68%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Olive oil decreases the accumulation of triglyceride in the liver of rats with NAFLD, but does not provide the greatest antioxidant activity.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine A, Sieff Government Hospital, PO Box 1008, Safed 13100, Israel.
authors.forename: Osamah
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: Masha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grosovski
authors.forename: Etti
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lasri
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Svalb
authors.forename: Uzi
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ravid
authors.forename: Nimer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Assy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009929:Organ Size; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species