ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the preventive effect and mechanism of pioglitazone on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats.Methods Thirty six male Sprague-Dawley ( SD) rats were randomly divided into normal control group , high-fat diet group , and pioglitazone intervention group , with 12 rats in each group .Normal control group fed with standard diet for eight weeks , and the rest two groups fed with high fat diet .Pioglitazone intervention group fed with pioglitazone in the four to eight weeks , the rest two groups in the same period fed with distilled water .Fasting serum alanine aminotransferase , aspartate aminotransferase , total cholesterol , triglyc-erides, fasting glucose , and fasting blood insulin levels were determined .The fasting insulin resistance index was calculated .Routine histological features of hepatic section were observed by hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining.The shape change of Kupffer cells in the liv-er was detected .The levels of tumor necrosis factor ( TNF)-αand nitric oxide ( NO) secreted by Kupffer cells were measured .Results The fasting insulin resistance index , triglycerides , and total cholesterol in rats of high-fat diet group were significantly higher than in normal control group ( P <0.05 ) .Histopathological examination showed hepatocellular macrove sicular steatosis , lobular inflammatory cell infiltration, and inflammatory cell infiltration .Hepatic Kupffer cell morphology change , its produced TNF, NO and liver tissue pa-thology changes were positively correlated ( P <0.05 ) .The fasting insulin resistance index , triglycerides , total cholesterol was signifi-cantly lower in rats of pioglitazone intervention group than the high-fat diet group ( P <0.05 ) .The liver tissue structure was obviously improved pioglitazone intervention group rats , morphology and function of liver Kupffer cells were normal .Conclusions Pioglitazone can prevent the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease induced by high fat diet .The mechanism may be related to improve insulin resistance , reduce blood fat , and regulate function of Kupffer cells .
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the correlation between diabetes and the new discovered angiopietin-related growth factor (AGF)that participates in energy metabolism.MethodsA total of 24 male C.57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups:controlled group; fed with high-fat diet( HFD); fed with high-fat diet for 10 weeks and then treated with rosiglitazone ( HFD + RSG) ; The relative level of AGF mRNA expression in livers was measured by determining a ratio of PCR products of AGF to that of β-actin gene.Oral glucose tolerance test,and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were used to measure blood glucose level and insulin sensitivity.Results Compared with the controls,the expression of AGF mRNA in liver decreased significantly in HFD group( P ＜0.05),and increased significantly in HFD + RSG group( P＜0.01 ).A negative correlation was found between AGF mRNA expression in mice livers and HOMA score ( r =-0.516,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions AGF as a new hepatocyte derived circulating factor counteracts obesity and is related to insulin resistance.