Serum Betatrophin Level Changes in a Rat Model of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
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- Category: Vol. 85, December 2017
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Serum Betatrophin Level Changes in a Rat Model of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, KHALED A.A. ABULFADLE, RANIA R.A. ATIA and GAMAL A. BAKHAAT HASSAN
Abstract
Background: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a widely distributed liver problem. Betatrophin, a liver derived hormone, was found to share in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Few data were recorded about its serum level changes in both untreated and metformin treated NAFLD.
Aim: To investigate changes in serum levels of betatrophin in both untreated and metformin treated NAFLD. Also, the relationship of betatrophin level to body mass index (BMI), liver histology, C-peptide, TNFa, IL-6, liver enzymes and other metabolic (insulin resistance, lipid profile) parameters were also studied to identify the potential effect of betatrophin on NAFLD pathogenesis.
Methods: Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, each of which consisted of 8 rats: 1st group (control) in which rats were fed a standard diet for 14 weeks; 2nd group (fatty liver untreated, NAFLD) in which rats were fed High Fat Diet (HFD) for 14 weeks; and 3rd group (fatty liver metformin-treated, NAFLD + Metformin) in which rats were fed HFD for 14 weeks and were administered metformin every day by oral gavage from the beginning of the ninth week until the end of the 14th week. Rats were fasted overnight at the end of the experimental period, then, they were anaesthetized with ether and killed by decapitation. Serum was separated from the collected blood and stored to be studied.
Results: In the NAFLD group, there was a significant increase in BMI (p<0.01), serum glucose (p<0.001), serum insulin (p<0.001), Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index (p<0.001), serum betatrophin (p<0.001), serum C-peptide (p<0.001), serum Interleulin-6 (IL-6) (p<0.001), serum tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) (p<0.001), serum Triglycerides (TG) (p<0.001), serum Total Cholesterol (TC) (p<0.001), serum Low Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (p<0.001), serum aspartate aminotrans-ferase (AST) (P<0.001), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p<0.001), and serum y-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) (p<0.001) in comparison to their values in the control group. On the other hand, in the NAFLD + Metformin group, there was a significant decrease in BMI (p<0.05), serum glucose (p<0.001), serum insulin (p<0.001), HOMA-IR index