Characterization of a murine nonalcoholic steatohepatitis model induced by high fat high calorie diet plus fructose and glucose in drinking water

Lab Invest. 2018 Sep;98(9):1184-1199. doi: 10.1038/s41374-018-0074-z. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

Abstract

There are varieties of murine models of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with different pathophysiologic characteristics. For preclinical assessment, a standardized model would allow comparisons of various pharmacotherapeutic candidates in efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmaco-metabolism, and adverse effects under a same system. The present study aims to characterize murine NASH models by comparing end-points of major abnormalities. NASH was induced by feeding high fructose/glucose in drinking water (HF/G), high-fat/calorie diet (HFCD), and in combination (HFCD-HF/G) in mice for 8 or 16 weeks. HF/G feeding caused a minimal fat accumulation and increase in free fatty acids (FFA). In contrast, HFCD-HF/G feeding resulted in a remarkable increase in body weight, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, macrosteatosis with a nearly seven-fold increase in triglyceride and FFA content, accompanied with marked hepatocellular injury, inflammatory responses, fibrosis, and insulin resistance, and represented as typical NASH in histopathology, metabolic, and adipokine profiles in a progressive manner. Meanwhile, mice fed HFCD displayed significant steatosis, necroptosis, fibrosis, insulin resistance, metabolic, and adipokine profiles, and the extent is less than those fed HFCD-HF/G. Significant MCP-1, CCR-2, and NLRP-1/3 activation were found in mice fed HFCD and HFCD-HF/G for 16 weeks, whereas gene expression of CPT-1 and ACOX-1 was down-regulated in these two groups in comparison to the controls. Nuclear receptors, such as SREBP-1c, FXR, LXR-α, PPAR-α, and PPAR-γ, were strikingly elevated in the HFCD-HF/G group. In conclusion, feeding HFCD-HF/G resulted in a reliable NASH model in mice with remarkable necroptosis, steatosis, fibrosis, and insulin resistance as well as a disordered profile of lipid metabolism and adipokine, and HFCD caused significant NASH features in histopathology and metabolic profiles only at a late stage. Whereas HF/G feeding barely led to minimal fat accumulation, some changes at molecular levels and metabolic disturbance in mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipokines / genetics
  • Adiposity
  • Animals
  • Cytokines / genetics
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Drinking Water
  • Energy Intake
  • Fructose / administration & dosage
  • Glucose / administration & dosage
  • Inflammasomes / metabolism
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / etiology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / metabolism
  • Liver Cirrhosis / pathology
  • Male
  • Metabolome
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / etiology*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / metabolism
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / pathology
  • Transcriptome

Substances

  • Adipokines
  • Cytokines
  • Drinking Water
  • Inflammasomes
  • Fructose
  • Glucose