title: Impact of artificial sunlight therapy on the progress of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is recognized as the most severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, with likely progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, there is no unified standard for diagnosis and therapeutics. This study aimed to characterize lipid transfer/metabolic proteins as non-invasive diagnostic markers, and to evaluate the therapeutic effects of phototherapy on the progression of NASH in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lewis rats given a choline-deficient and iron-supplemented l-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet and Zucker fa/fa rats were used as a diet-induced and an obesity-related NASH models, respectively, with or without phototherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum apolipoprotein E and low molecular weight-adiponectin levels were gradually reduced and reached the lowest level at fatty liver/NASH stage both in CDAA diet-induced NASH model and in genetically obese model. Total-adiponectin levels were dramatically elevated after NASH was established in CDAA diet-induced NASH model. Phototherapy ameliorated hepatocyte apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and insulin/leptin resistance caused by CDAA diet with alteration of the levels of lipid transfer/metabolic proteins and elevation of the circulating active form of vitamin D(3). Vitamin D(3) supplementation ameliorated NASH progression in CDAA diet-induced NASH model. However, phototherapy failed to ameliorate the obesity and steatosis, suggesting that phototherapy may possess anti-inflammatory/fibrotic activity rather than anti-obesity/steatotic activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that serum lipid transfer/metabolic proteins and vitamin D(3) status may be effective biomarkers for non-invasive diagnosis of NASH progression, and that phototherapy may be a good complementary therapy for NASH because of its regulation of lipid transfer/metabolic proteins and vitamin D(3).
authors.affiliation: Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Liver Transplantation Program and Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Yu-Fan
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Chia-Yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Li-Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Yen-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jia-Yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yu-Zhu
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Kuang-Den
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chih-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: King-Wah
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jawan
authors.forename: Hock-Liew
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Eng
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Chao-Long
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000097:blood; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D001059:Apoproteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006370:Heliotherapy; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011924:Rats, Zucker; D054419:Receptors, Adiponectin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D001059:Apoproteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D054419:Receptors, Adiponectin; C030363:lipid transfer protein; D002762:Cholecalciferol