[Emodin worsens methionine-choline-deficient diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the influence of emodin on methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice.


METHODS
C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups: methionine-choline-supplemented (MCS) diet group, MCD diet plus DMSO injection group (MCD), MCD diet plus emodin injection group (MCD-emodin). The mice were fed with MCS or MCD diet for 10 days, and then peritoneally injected with DMSO or emodin for 20 days consecutively. HE staining was performed to observe pathologic changes of livers. The levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glucose (GLU) were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The mRNA levels of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined by real-time quantitative PCR.


RESULTS
HE staining showed that there were more lipid accumulation and leukocyte infiltration in the livers of the MCD group compared with the MCS group. The above manifestations were more severe in the MCD-emodin group. Moreover, compared with the MCD group, emodin injection remarkably raised serum AST and ALT levels and greatly increased IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Emodin worsened MCD diet-induced NAFLD in mice.
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Qian
Q
Liu
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Fang
F
Yu
Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Heping Hospital, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, China.
Nan
N
Yu
Kindergarten, Qinghua Machinery Plant, Changzhi 046012, China.
Mingru
M
Shi
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Feng
F
Wang
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004642:Emodin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008715:Methionine / Q000032:analysis*; D051379:Mice; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
D008715:Methionine; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D004642:Emodin; D002794:Choline