Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent worldwide. The most severe form is nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Among risk factors for the development of NAFLD is excessive lipid intake. Since palm (P) oil is the most consumed oil in the world, we aimed to investigate the effects of high-fat diets made with P oil, hybrid palm (HP) oil, or olive (O) oil in liver. Twenty-four male mice (C57Bl/6J) were fed a high-fat diet (41% fat) containing P, HP, or O oils for 8 weeks and compared to a control (C) group fed a chow diet. Adiposity was measured with computed tomography. Body, adipose tissue, and liver weights, as well as liver fat (Bligh–Dyer), blood lipid profile, glucose, and liver enzymes were measured. Liver histology (hematoxylin–eosin) and transcriptome (microarray-based) were performed. ANOVA tests with Newman–Keuls were used. Body weight was increased in the P group (p < 0.001) and body fat in the O group (C vs. O p ≤ 0.01, P vs. O p ≤ 0.05, HP vs. O p ≤ 0.05). All high-fat diets disturbed the blood lipid profile and glucose, with marked effects of HP on very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL), triglycerides, and alkaline phosphatase (p ≤ 0.001). HP had the highest liver fat (42.76 ± 1.58), followed by P (33.94 ± 1.13). O had a fat amount comparable to C (16.46 ± 0.34, 14.71 ± 0.70, respectively). P and HP oils induced hepatocyte ballooning. Transcriptome alterations of the O group were related to amino acid metabolism and fatty acid (FA) metabolism, the P group to calcium ion homeostasis, and HP oil to protein localization. Both P and HP oils induced NASH in mice via disturbed hepatocyte transcription. This raises concerns about the content of these oils in several industrialized foods.
Highlights
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a broad-spectrum disease, which encompasses liver steatosis to inflammation, often with fibrosis
The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of high-fat diets containing P, hybrid palm (HP), and O oils in the liver and the genetic modulation that these oils perpetrate as a mechanism to develop NAFLD
We demonstrated in another study that palmitic acid—the main SFA present in P and HP oils—is independently associated with liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD [13]
Summary
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a broad-spectrum disease, which encompasses liver steatosis (nonalcoholic fatty liver—NAFL) to inflammation, often with fibrosis (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis—NASH). NASH has been identified as an important risk factor for the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [1] This disease is highly associated with lifestyle, with both obesity and metabolic syndrome playing a central role in the ascending prevalence observed nowadays [2,3]. NAFLD is estimated to affect 25% of adult people worldwide [4]. This evidence raises concern about the impact of NAFLD in the world, the data available at the moment cannot explain some of the molecular mechanisms involved in the progress of this disease [5]. Efforts must be made to elucidate the gaps in the knowledge
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