Animal Evidence for Synergistic Induction of Hepatic Injury by Dietary Fat and Alcohol Consumption and Its Potential Mechanisms.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore the mechanisms by which a high-fat diet combined with alcohol consumption contributes to steatohepatitis and liver injury.
Results Summary
The study found that combining a high-fat diet with alcohol significantly worsened liver injury and steatohepatitis, marked by increased oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and activation of CHOP and caspase-12, but not mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.
Population
Rat model (not human subjects).
Effective Dosage
20% fat diet + 10% alcohol (half-dose) and 40% fat diet + 20% alcohol (double-dose).
Duration
8 weeks.
Interactions
Alcohol (synergistic negative effect with high-fat diet).
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
high-fat/-calorie diet | increase | metabolic dysfunction | - | - | induced | #1 |
high-fat/-calorie diet together with alcohol intake | increase | steatotic liver injury | - | - | deteriorates | #2 |
half-dose combination of fat diet (20%) and alcohol (10%) | increase | histopathology | rat model | - | notable alterations in | #3 |
half-dose combination of fat diet (20%) and alcohol (10%) | increase | oxidation parameters (ROS, NO and lipid peroxidation) | rat model | - | acceleration in | #4 |
half-dose combination of fat diet (20%) and alcohol (10%) | increase | serum transaminase levels | rat model | - | acceleration in | #5 |
concomitant use of a high-fat diet and alcohol | increase | hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress | rat model | - | provoked | #6 |
concomitant use of a high-fat diet and alcohol | no change | mitochondria-mediated apoptosis parameters | rat model | - | did not activate | #7 |
combined treatment group (fat diet and alcohol) | increase | caspase-12 | rat model | - | notable activation of | #8 |
combined treatment group (fat diet and alcohol) | increase | CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein (CHOP) | rat model | - | nuclear translocation of | #9 |
concomitant dietary fat intake and alcohol consumption | increase | liver injury | - | - | lead to | #10 |
concomitant dietary fat intake and alcohol consumption | increase | steatohepatitis | - | - | lead to | #11 |
overdose of fat or alcohol | increase | steatohepatitis | - | - | lead to | #12 |
CHOP and caspase-12 | increase | steatohepatitis | - | - | might be involved in synergistic acceleration of | #13 |
In contrast to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) as an innovative definition can coexist with significant alcohol consumption. Massive clinical observations have indicated that high-fat/-calorie diet induced metabolic dysfunction along with alcohol intake deteriorates steatotic liver injury. To explore the potential mechanisms of fatty diet together with alcohol-induced steatohepatitis, we adopted a rat model by comparing a half-dose combination of fat diet (20%) and alcohol (10%) with their corresponding double dose of 40% fat diet and 20% alcohol for 8 weeks. The notable alterations in histopathology, acceleration in the oxidation parameters (ROS, NO and lipid peroxidation) and serum transaminase levels were shown in the concomitant group. Concomitant use of a high-fat diet and alcohol provoked hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress, but did not activate mitochondria-mediated apoptosis parameters compared to F. In contrast, the notable activation of caspase-12 and nuclear translocation of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein (CHOP) were observed only in the combined treatment group. The concomitant dietary fat intake and alcohol consumption lead to liver injury initially and later to steatohepatitis by the overdose of fat or alcohol, and in which the CHOP and caspase-12 might be involved in synergistic acceleration of steatohepatitis through a mitochondria-independent manner.