Abstract
Obesity increases the risk of fatty liver disease and liver cancer. There are several models of obesity-associated hepatocellular carcinoma, but tumor development in these models is slow. We investigated Zucker fatty rats, a model of obesity and insulin resistance, to discover if diethylnitrosamine (DEN), a potent liver carcinogen, might enhance liver carcinogenesis. We also investigated the effect of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) against the development of liver cancer. Incidence and number of hepatocellular carcinomas and adenomas were significantly greater in DEN-treated Zucker fatty rats than in DEN-treated lean rats. All treated Zucker fatty rats developed hepatocellular carcinoma within 16 weeks. Long-term BCAA supplementation significantly reduced expression of CyclinD1, PCNA, thymidine kinase, Bcl-2, and GST-p and increased expression of p21 in the liver. Furthermore, BCAA treatment significantly reduced the area of GST-p positive foci. Long-term BCAA treatment may induces cell cycle arrest and apoptotic induction, thus suppressing pre-neoplastic lesions.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
