Abstract
BackgroundNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is currently no safe and effective drug for therapy. In this study, we explored the effects of taurine, tea polyphenols (TPs), or a combination thereof, on NASH rats.MethodsRats were divided into a normal group, a high-fat diet induced model group and a treatment group (including taurine, TPs, or taurine + TPs treatment for 8 weeks). Twelve weeks later, all rats were sacrificed, and serum transaminase, lipid and lipopolysaccharide levels and hepatic oxidative stress levels were determined. Histological changes were evaluated.ResultsIn NASH rats, hepatocyte damage, lipid disturbance, oxidative stress and elevated lipopolysaccharide levels were confirmed. Taurine treatment alleviated hepatocyte damage and oxidative stress. TPs treatment improved lipid metabolism and increased hepatic antioxidant activity. The therapeutic effects of taurine + TPs treatment on hepatocyte damage, lipid disturbance, and oxidative stress were superior to those of taurine and TPs treatment, respectively. Taurine, TPs and their combination all decreased serum lipopolysaccharide levels in NASH rats, but the combination of the compounds caused these levels to decrease more significantly than taurine or TPs treatment alone.ConclusionTaurine combined with TPs treatment could relieve NASH by alleviating hepatocyte damage, decreasing oxidative stress and improving lipid metabolism and gut flora disturbance partly. Taurine and TPs combination may act as a new effective medicine for treating NASH patients.
Highlights
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is currently no safe and effective drug for therapy
Taurine and tea polyphenols (TPs) combination reduces the liver index in NASH rats but not body weights Ninety-seven rats completed the 12-week experiment, and there were no significant differences in the mortality rats between the groups (P > 0.05)
The results showed that the liver index increased significantly in the model group compared with that of the normal group or the treatment groups (P < 0.01, Table 2), but there were no significant differences between the treatment groups (P > 0.05)
Summary
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is currently no safe and effective drug for therapy. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinical pathological syndrome defined as diffuse hepatocyte steatosis and fat storage in the hepatic lobule without excessive alcohol intake [1]. NAFLD includes a spectrum of disorders ranging from simple steatosis, or nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), to its progressive form, known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is a chronic progressive liver disease that is characterized pathologically by steatosis combined with nonspecific. Hepatocyte steatosis caused by insulin resistance (the first hit) results in insufficient viability in hepatocytes and triglyceride accumulation in the liver, which together provide an optimal microenvironment for further lipid peroxidation/oxidative stress (the second hit), which impairs mitochondrial function, Zhu et al BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2017) 17:455 promotes the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells, and results in pathological changes from simple steatosis to hepatic inflammation and fibrosis
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