Therapeutic effect of astragalus polysaccharides on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on high fat-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats. Methods Totally 36 male SD rats were randomized into normal control group (n=8) and disease model group (n=28). The rats in the disease model group were fed with high-fat diet for 6 weeks to establish rat model of NAFLD. Twenty-five of 28 NAFLD model rats were randomized into NAFLD model group (n=7), simvastatin group (n=9, intragastric administration of simvastatin [6.7 mg · kg-1 · d-1]) and APS group (n=9, intragastric administration of APS [700 mg · kg-1 · d-1]). The rats in the normal control group and the NAFLD model group were intragastrically given the same volume of double distilled water. The rats in each group were continuously fed for 8 weeks. The dietary intake, energy intake, drinking water, excretion and serum biochemical parameters were compared between the four groups. Liver tissues were collected to calculate the liver index and measure the contents of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG). The liver tissue structure and cell morphology were observed under the optical microscope. Results The energy intake of rats in the NAFLD model group was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (P0.05). Compared with the NAFLD model group, serum levels of TC, TG, lowdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol and malondialdehyde were significantly decreased, and the level of high-density lipoproteincholesterol and the activity of total superoxide dismutase were significantly increased in the APS and simvastatin groups (all P0.05). Conclusion APS can effectively regulate the levels of serum glucose, blood lipids and hepatic lipid droplets in NAFLD rats, which may be related to the antioxidant effect of APS.