TY - JOUR A1 - Henkel, Janin A1 - Buchheim-Dieckow, Katja A1 - Castro, José Pedro A1 - Laeger, Thomas A1 - Wardelmann, Kristina A1 - Kleinridders, André A1 - Jöhrens, Korinna A1 - Püschel, Gerhard Paul T1 - Reduced Oxidative Stress and Enhanced FGF21 Formation in Livers of Endurance-Exercised Rats with Diet-Induced NASH JF - Nutrients N2 - Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) including the severe form with steatohepatitis (NASH) are highly prevalent ailments to which no approved pharmacological treatment exists. Dietary intervention aiming at 10% weight reduction is efficient but fails due to low compliance. Increase in physical activity is an alternative that improved NAFLD even in the absence of weight reduction. The underlying mechanisms are unclear and cannot be studied in humans. Here, a rat NAFLD model was developed that reproduces many facets of the diet-induced NAFLD in humans. The impact of endurance exercise was studied in this model. Male Wistar rats received control chow or a NASH-inducing diet rich in fat, cholesterol, and fructose. Both diet groups were subdivided into a sedentary and an endurance exercise group. Animals receiving the NASH-inducing diet gained more body weight, got glucose intolerant and developed a liver pathology with steatosis, hepatocyte hypertrophy, inflammation and fibrosis typical of NAFLD or NASH. Contrary to expectations, endurance exercise did not improve the NASH activity score and even enhanced hepatic inflammation. However, endurance exercise attenuated the hepatic cholesterol overload and the ensuing severe oxidative stress. In addition, exercise improved glucose tolerance possibly in part by induction of hepatic FGF21 production. KW - NAFLD KW - NASH KW - endurance exercise KW - FGF21 KW - glucose intolerance KW - cholesterol KW - oxidative stress Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112709 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 11 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Henkel, Janin A1 - Coleman Mac Gregor of Inneregny, Charles Dominic A1 - Schraplau, Anne A1 - Jöhrens, Korinna A1 - Weiss, Thomas Siegfried A1 - Jonas, Wenke A1 - Schürmann, Annette A1 - Püschel, Gerhard Paul T1 - Augmented liver inflammation in a microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 (mPGES-1)-deficient diet-induced mouse NASH model JF - Scientific Reports N2 - In a subset of patients, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is complicated by cell death and inflammation resulting in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which may progress to fibrosis and subsequent organ failure. Apart from cytokines, prostaglandins, in particular prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)), play a pivotal role during inflammatory processes. Expression of the key enzymes of PGE(2) synthesis, cyclooxygenase 2 and microsomal PGE synthase 1 (mPGES-1), was increased in human NASH livers in comparison to controls and correlated with the NASH activity score. Both enzymes were also induced in NASH-diet-fed wild-type mice, resulting in an increase in hepatic PGE(2) concentration that was completely abrogated in mPGES-1-deficient mice. PGE(2) is known to inhibit TNF-alpha synthesis in macrophages. A strong infiltration of monocyte-derived macrophages was observed in NASH-diet-fed mice, which was accompanied with an increase in hepatic TNF-alpha expression. Due to the impaired PGE(2) production, TNF-alpha expression increased much more in livers of mPGES-1-deficient mice or in the peritoneal macrophages of these mice. The increased levels of TNF-alpha resulted in an enhanced IL-1 beta production, primarily in hepatocytes, and augmented hepatocyte apoptosis. In conclusion, attenuation of PGE(2) production by mPGES-1 ablation enhanced the TNF-alpha-triggered inflammatory response and hepatocyte apoptosis in diet-induced NASH. KW - suppress VLDL secretion KW - mice lacking KW - nonalcoholic steatohepatthis KW - insulin-resistance KW - rat hepatocytes KW - kupffer cells KW - E-2 KW - disease KW - expression KW - accumulation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-34633-y SN - 2045-2322 IS - 8 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Nature Research CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Henkel, Janin A1 - Alfine, Eugenia A1 - Saín, Juliana A1 - Jöhrens, Korinna A1 - Weber, Daniela A1 - Castro, José Pedro A1 - König, Jeannette A1 - Stuhlmann, Christin A1 - Vahrenbrink, Madita A1 - Jonas, Wenke A1 - Kleinridders, André A1 - Püschel, Gerhard Paul T1 - Soybean Oil-Derived Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids Enhance Liver Damage in NAFLD Induced by Dietary Cholesterol JF - Nutrients N2 - While the impact of dietary cholesterol on the progression of atherosclerosis has probably been overestimated, increasing evidence suggests that dietary cholesterol might favor the transition from blunt steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), especially in combination with high fat diets. It is poorly understood how cholesterol alone or in combination with other dietary lipid components contributes to the development of lipotoxicity. The current study demonstrated that liver damage caused by dietary cholesterol in mice was strongly enhanced by a high fat diet containing soybean oil-derived ω6-poly-unsaturated fatty acids (ω6-PUFA), but not by a lard-based high fat diet containing mainly saturated fatty acids. In contrast to the lard-based diet the soybean oil-based diet augmented cholesterol accumulation in hepatocytes, presumably by impairing cholesterol-eliminating pathways. The soybean oil-based diet enhanced cholesterol-induced mitochondrial damage and amplified the ensuing oxidative stress, probably by peroxidation of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. This resulted in hepatocyte death, recruitment of inflammatory cells, and fibrosis, and caused a transition from steatosis to NASH, doubling the NASH activity score. Thus, the recommendation to reduce cholesterol intake, in particular in diets rich in ω6-PUFA, although not necessary to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, might be sensible for patients suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. KW - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) KW - NASH KW - cholesterol KW - PUFA KW - inflammation KW - oxidative stress Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10091326 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 10 IS - 9 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) CY - Basel ER -