A new model of acute liver steatosis induced in rats by fasting followed by refeeding a high carbohydrate-fat free diet. Biochemical and morphological analysis

• Published in: Journal of hepatology Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 880 - 885
• Main Authors: Delzenne, Nathalie M., Hernaux, Nancy A., Taper, Henryk S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.04.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Animal Feed; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrates; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; Dietary Carbohydrates - pharmacology; Disease Models, Animal; Fasting; Fatty Liver - etiology; Fatty Liver - metabolism; Fatty Liver - pathology; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Lipogenesis; Liver - metabolism; Liver - pathology; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Male; Medical sciences; Other diseases. Semiology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Steatosis; Triglycerides; Carbohydrates; Triglycerides; Lipogenesis; Steatosis; Animal model; Fasting; Deficient diet; Nutrition; Grease; Refeeding; Cytologic investigation; Liver; Hepatic disease; Supplemented diet; Triglyceride; Result; Pathology; Animal; Digestive diseases; Carbohydrate; Mechanism of action
• ISSN: 0168-8278; 1600-0641
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-8278(97)80256-5

Background/Aims: Dietary habits are often considered to be responsible for fatty liver, a common histological finding in human liver biopsies. The aim of the present work was to test the hypothesis that fasting followed by refeeding high carbohydrate-fat free diets in rats disrupts hepatic lipid homeostatis, leading to liver lipid accumulation and morphological alterations. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fasted for 48 h, then refed ad libitum with a high carbohydrate-fat free diet. Results: Six hours after refeeding, a slight micro-vascuolar steatosis, mainly located in zone I was observed, whereas later or in the process, macrovacuolar steatosis extended to all three zones of the hepatic lobules. The present paper also contributes information on the mechanism of fasting-high carbohydrate-fat free diet, diet-induced steatosis: we show that both circulating and de novo hepatic synthesized fatty acid availabilities are implicated in the disequilibrium between triglyceride synthesis and secretion. Conclusios: The results are discussed, taking into account the putative implication of carbohydrate-induced lipogenesis in human fatty liver, occurring in non-insulin-dependent diabetic or obese patients.