title: Relationships between variable time, percentage of food restriction and liver histology: which alternative is the best for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevention?
abstract: The objective of this study was to analyse the hepatic effects of food restriction in an experimental rabbit model. The study comprised 105 rabbits divided into 6 groups. The two control groups were fed ad libitum (ADL) during the entire experiment (C1 and C2). The experimental groups were restricted between 42-49 days of age, where the rabbits received 50g (R1) or 65g (R2) of food per rabbit per day. Others were restricted between 35-42 days of age, where the rabbits received 50g (R3) or 65g (R4) of food per rabbit per day. For liver analysis, 5 rabbits per group were slaughtered at the ages of 49, 56, 63, 70 days from the R1, R2 groups and at 42, 49, 70 days from the R3, R4 groups. All animals from the C1 and C2 groups developed steatosis with inflammation. Animals from the R1 and R2 groups developed steatosis without inflammation while in the R3 and R4 groups steatosis was not visible. In C1 and C2 groups we observed mostly fatty deposit accumulations while in the R1, R2, R3 and R4 groups, more PAS-positive material accumulations were visible. Liver steatosis correlated with inflammation development and interstitial tissue growth. These results can be used in clinical praxis as signs of NAFLD progression. Early food restriction had intense effects on liver morphology and it seems promising that similar approaches could be applied as preventive treatment for NAFLD development.
authors.affiliation: Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Department of Transgenic Models of Diseases, ASCR, v.v.i., Prague, Czech Republic. pmakovicky@email.cz.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Makovicky
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tumova
authors.affiliation: Physiology of Nutrition and Quality of Animal Product, Institute of Animal Science in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Volek
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Pedagogical Faculty, Selye Janos University, Komarno, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Pavol
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Makovicky
authors.affiliation: Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Department of Transgenic Models of Diseases, ASCR, v.v.i., Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Radislav
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sedlacek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D031204:Caloric Restriction / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors