title: Long-term exposure to a butter-rich diet induces mild-to-moderate steatosis in Chang liver cells and Swiss albino mice models.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Butter is one of the widely used fats present in the diet. However, there is no satisfactory study available that evaluates the effect of a high-fat diet containing butter as the principal fat on the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present study, butter was used for the development of steatosis in Chang liver cells in an in vitro study and Swiss albino mice in an in vivo study. In vitro steatosis was established, and butter was compared with oleic acid in Chang liver cells using an oil red O (ORO)-based colorimetric assay. In the in vivo study, a butter-rich special diet was fed for 15 weeks to mice, who showed no significant change in body weight. The expression pattern of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and miR-21 was compared by reverse transcriptase-PCR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Special diet-fed animals showed downregulated PTEN compared to normal diet-fed animals, while levels of miR-21 remained the same. Elevations in biochemical parameters, viz., triglycerides and liver function tests showed symptoms of onset of NAFLD. Histophathological study of livers of test animals confirmed mild-to-moderate degree of NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal 576104, Karnataka.
authors.forename: Thomas John Philip
authors.initials: TJP
authors.lastname: Nalloor
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal 576104, Karnataka.
authors.forename: Nitesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal 576104, Karnataka.
authors.forename: Kasinathan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Jalan Bedong Semeling 08100, Bedong Kedah Darul Aman.
authors.forename: Vasanth Raj
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Palanimuthu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002079:Butter / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides; D002079:Butter; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase
keywords: butter; miR-21; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN); steatosis