title: Splenectomy reduces fibrosis and preneoplastic lesions with increased triglycerides and essential fatty acids in rat liver cirrhosis induced by a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined diet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated whether splenectomy is of significance in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Five-week-old Wistar rats were fed a choline-deficient diet for 8 weeks to create a NASH model. A sham-operation or splenectomy was then performed, and rats were killed 4 weeks later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Liver fibrosis and liver preneoplastic lesions were significantly reduced in the splenectomy group compared to the sham-operation group, and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression was significantly inhibited (liver fibrosis area: sham 8.63 ± 4.09%, splenectomy 5.45 ± 3.69%, P < 0.01; preneoplastic lesion size: sham 6.56 ± 3.68 ×10(6)  µm(2) /cm(2) , splenectomy 4.63 ± 3.27 ×10(6)  µm(2) /cm(2) , P < 0.05; the number of preneoplastic lesions: sham 8.33 ± 3.96/cm(2) , splenectomy 5.17 ± 1.80/cm(2) , P < 0.01; α-smooth muscle actin-positive area: sham 4.41 ± 2.48%, splenectomy 2.75 ± 1.66%, P < 0.01) On the other hand, liver triglycerides and essential fatty acids were significantly increased in the splenectomy group (liver triglycerides: sham 182 ± 35.0 mg/g, splenectomy 230 ± 35.0 mg/g, P < 0.05; liver linoleic acid: sham 17.2 ± 4.9 mg/g, splenectomy 23.3 ± 6.9 mg/g, P < 0.05; liver α-linolenic acid: sham 118 ± 36.6 µg/g, splenectomy 162 ± 51.4 µg/g, P < 0.05). In addition, expressions of hepatic fatty acid metabolism-related genes (e.g. acyl-CoA oxidase, liver carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase I, cytochrome P450 4A, long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase) were significantly inhibited in the splenectomy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that spleen plays an important regulatory role in the fibrosis, preneoplastic lesion and lipid metabolism of liver in a rat choline-deficient L-amino acid model.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine Department of Laboratory, Yamaguchi University Hospital, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors: Toshiyuki
authors: T
authors: Oishi
authors: Shuji
authors: S
authors: Terai
authors: Takuya
authors: T
authors: Iwamoto
authors: Taro
authors: T
authors: Takami
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Isao
authors: I
authors: Sakaida