Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as a major chronic liver illness characterized by increase of lipid content in the liver. This study investigated the role of lauric acid to treat NAFLD in male adult Sprague Dawley rats. In the present study, to induce NAFLD in the rats, a high fat diet (HFD) was administered for 8 consecutive weeks. Lauric acid groups received lauric acid (250 and 500 mg/kg; orally), concurrently with HFD for 8 consecutive weeks. Lauric acid could ameliorate the serum levels of TG, TC, ALT, AST, blood glucose and insulin. Moreover, lauric acid significantly elevated the levels of SOD, GSH, catalase and IL-10. Additionally, it lowered the hepatic levels of MDA, ROS, MPO, 4-HNE, IL-1β and TNF-α. Furthermore, lauric acid significantly up-regulated the hepatic expression of IRS1, AMPK, PI3K and SIRT1 genes. In parallel, lauric acid could improve the histopathological picture of the liver and reduce the liver apoptosis via decreasing the expression of annexin V. Finally, our data proposed that lauric acid could be an effective candidate for the NAFLD treatment.
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