title: Protective effect of ursodeoxycholic acid, resveratrol, and N-acetylcysteine on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease. Resveratrol (RSV) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) are safe representatives of natural and synthetic antioxidants, respectively.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate protective effects of RSV and NAC, compared with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), on experimental NAFLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  NAFLD was induced by feeding rats a methionine choline-deficient diet (MCDD) for four cycles, each of 4 d of MCDD feeding and 3 d of fasting. Animals were divided into normal control, steatosis control, and five treatment groups, receiving UDCA (25 mg/kg/d), RSV (10 mg/kg/d), NAC (20 mg/kg/d), UDCA + RSV, and UDCA + NAC orally for 28 d. Liver integrity markers (liver index and serum transaminases), serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), glucose, albumin, renal functions (urea, creatinine), lipid profile (total cholesterol; TC, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins; LDL-C, very low density lipoproteins, leptin), and oxidative stress markers (hepatic malondialdehyde; MDA, glutathione; GSH, glutathione-S-transferase; GST) were measured using automatic analyzer, colorimetric kits, and ELISA kits, supported by a liver histopathological study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RSV and NAC administration significantly improved liver index (RSV only), alanine transaminase (52, 52%), TNF-α (70, 70%), glucose (69, 80%), albumin (122, 114%), MDA (55, 63%), GSH (160, 152%), GST (84, 84%), TC (86, 86%), LDL-C (83, 81%), and leptin (59, 70%) levels compared with steatosis control values. A combination of RSV or NAC with UDCA seems to ameliorate their effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RSV and NAC are effective on NAFLD through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering potentials, where as RSV seems better than UDCA or NAC.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Sueif University , Beni-Sueif , Egypt and.
authors.forename: Mahmoud Hussein Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Sueif University , Beni-Sueif , Egypt and.
authors.forename: Basim Anwar Shehata
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Messiha
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University , Cairo , Egypt.
authors.forename: Hekma Abdel-Tawab
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Abdel-Latif
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002796:Choline Deficiency / Q000150:complications; D019610:Cytoprotection; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000172:deficiency; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000077185:Resveratrol; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D008055:Lipids; D013267:Stilbenes; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D008715:Methionine; D000077185:Resveratrol; D000111:Acetylcysteine
keywords: Dyslipidemia; inflammation; methionine–choline-deficient diet; oxidative stress; steatohepatitis; steatosis