盐酸甜菜碱对短盖巨脂鲤脂肪代谢的影响

采用现场实验的方法 ,以短盖巨脂鲤为对象进行了 6 0天养殖实验 ,探讨盐酸甜菜碱对其脂肪代谢作用机理。结果表明 ,盐酸甜菜碱使整鱼水分和含脂量呈下降趋势 ,鱼肌肉含水量下降 ,肝脂量极显著降低 ;肌肉和肝脏中游离肉碱、酸不溶肉碱含量和酸不溶肉碱与游离肉碱的比例极显著提高 ;血清总胆固醇和甘油三酯极显著下降 ,脂肪酶活性呈升高趋势 ;甜菜碱对肠系膜脂肪酶活力产生影响 ,使鱼肌肉肌间脂肪分布发生明显变化。实验结果提示 :甜菜碱可改善肉质 ,它参与机体代谢活动 ,使肝脏和肌肉中甲基化产物 (肉碱 )含量增加 ,影响肠系膜脂肪酶活力 ,改变体脂和鱼肉脂肪酸组成 。

Effects of Dietary Copper Level on Blood and Tissue Copper Contents in Geese

In order to study the effect of dietary copper level on blood and tissue copper contents in geese, one-week Sichuan white geese were randomly divided in- to four groups, and the geese in the first, second, third and fourth groups were fed with diet with copper levels of 39.55, 127.60, 194.75 and 255.22 mg/kg, respective- ly. At the ages of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks, the contents of copper in blood, liver, chest muscle and subcutaneous fat of the geese were determined. The effects of dietary copper level, age and sex on the blood and tissue copper contents of geese were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance. The results showed that the di- etary copper level showed no significant effects on the blood and liver copper con- tents of geese （P〉0.05）; the chest muscle copper content of geese in the second group was significantly higher than that in the first group （P〈0.05）; the subcuta- neous fat copper content of geese in the fourth group was significantly higher than those in the other three groups （P〈0.01）; the age had significant effects on the blood, liver, chest muscle and subcutaneous fat copper contents of geese （P〈0.01）; and the sex showed no significant effects on the blood and tissue copper contents of geese （P〉0.05）.

Effects of emodin on treating murine nonalcoholic fatty liver induced by high caloric laboratory chaw

AIM: To investigate the effects of emodin on the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats induced by high caloric laboratory chaw. METHODS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver model was successfully established by feeding with high caloric laboratory chaw for 12 wk. Then the model rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely model control group, emodin group and dietary treatment group. The rats in emodin group were given emodin at dose of 40 mg/(kg·d) while animals in other groups were given distilled water of the same volume. The rats in model control group were fed with high caloric laboratory chaw while animals in other groups were fed with normal diet. Four weeks later, liver index (liver/body weight ratio), serum activities of liver-associated enzymes, blood lipid, fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, HOMA insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), hepatic triglyceride content and histology features of all groups were assayed. The expression of hepatic peroxisomal proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) gamma was determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The body weight, liver index, serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood lipid, hepatic triglyceride content of model control group were significantly elevated, with moderate to severe hepatocyte steatosis. The expression of hepatic PPAR gamma mRNA was obviously reduced in model control group. Compared with model control group, the body weight, liver index, serum activities of ALT, blood lipids and hepatic triglyceride of emodin group significantly decreased and hepatic histology display was also greatly improved. Meanwhile, the expression of hepatic PPAR gamma mRNA was elevated. However, high serum activities of ALT and hyperlipidemia were persisted in dietary treatment group although liver index was decreased and liver histology was somewhat improved. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that emodin might be effective in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats. Its therapeutic mechanism could be associated with increasing the expression of hepatic PPAR gamma mRNA.

Association of the frequency of peripheral natural killer T cells with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

AIM: To investigate whether changes in the frequencyof peripheral natural killer T (NKT) cells were correlatedwith liver disease in patients who had metabolicpredispositions to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were obtainedfrom 60 Chinese NAFLD patients and 60 age and gendermatched healthy controls. The frequency of peripheralNKT cells was detected by flow cytometry. Clinical andlaboratory data were collected for further analysis. RESULTS: NAFLD patients had a lower frequencyof peripheral NKT cells than healthy controls (1.21%± 0.06% vs 1.62% ± 0.07%, P < 0.001). Furtheranalysis revealed that the frequency of peripheralNKT cells was negatively correlated with body massindex, waist circumference and serum levels of alanineaminotransferase. Logistic regression analysis revealedthat elevated body mass index [hazard ratio (HR):2.991], aspartate aminotransferase levels (HR: 1.148)and fasting blood sugar (HR: 3.133) increased the riskof NAFLD, whereas an elevated frequency of peripheralNKT cells (HR: 0.107) decreased the risk. CONCLUSION: Changes in the frequency of peripheralNKT cells were correlated with NAFLD and a decreasedfrequency of peripheral NKT cells was a risk factor forNAFLD.

Genetic and epigenetic variants influencing the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is common worldwide. The importance of genetic and epigen- eric changes in etiology and pathogenesis of NAFLD has been increasingly recognized. However, the ex- act mechanism is largely unknown. A large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） related to NAFLD has been documented by candidate gene studies （CGSs）. Among these genes, peroxisome pro- liferatoractivated receptor-γ, adiponectin, leptin and tumor necrosis factor-α were frequently reported. Since the introduction of genome-wide association studies （GWASs）, there have been significant advances in our understanding of genomic variations of NAFLD. Patatin- like phospholipase domain containing family member A3 （PNPLA3, SNP rs738409, encoding I148M）, also termed adiponutrin, has caught most attention. The evidence that PNPLA3 is associated with increased hepatic fat levels and hepatic inflammation has been validated by a series of studies. Epigenetic modification refers to phenotypic changes caused by an adaptive mechanism unrelated to alteration of primary DNA se- quences. Epigenetic regulation mainly includes microR- NAs （miRs）, DNA methylation, histone modifications and ubiquitination, among which miRs are studied most extensively, miRs are small natural single stranded RNA molecules regulating mRNA degradation or translation inhibition, subsequently altering protein expression of target genes. The miR-122, a highly abundant miR ac- counting for nearly 70% of all miRs in the liver, is sig- nificantly under-expressed in NAFLD subjects. Inhibition of miR-122 with an antisense oligonucleotide results in decreased mRNA expression of lipogenJc genes and improvement of liver steatosis. The investigation into epigenetic involvement in NAFLD pathogenesis is just at the beginning and needs to be refined. This review summarizes the roles of genetics and epigenetics in the development of NAFLD. The progress made in this field may provide novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeu- tic targets for NAFLD management.

Intrahepatic natural killer T cell populations are increased in human hepatic steatosis

AIM: To determine if natural killer T cell (NKT) populations are affected in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Patients undergoing bariatric surgery underwent liver biopsy and blood sampling during surgery. The biopsy was assessed for steatosis and immunocyte infiltration. Intrahepatic lymphocytes (IHLs) were isolated from the remainder of the liver biopsy, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the blood. Expression of surface proteins on both IHLs and PBMCs were quantified using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Twenty-seven subjects participated in thisstudy. Subjects with moderate or severe steatosis had a higher percentage of intrahepatic CD3+/CD56+ NKT cells (38.6%) than did patients with mild steatosis (24.1%, P = 0.05) or those without steatosis (21.5%, P = 0.03). Patients with moderate to severe steatosis also had a higher percentage of NKT cells in the blood (12.3%) as compared to patients with mild steatosis (2.5% P = 0.02) and those without steatosis (5.1%, P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: NKT cells are significantly increased in the liver and blood of patients with moderate to severe steatosis and support the role of NKT cells in NAFLD.

Metabolomic changes in fatty liver can be modified by dietary protein and calcium during energy restriction

AIM： To characterise the effect of energy restriction （ER） on liver lipid and primary metabolite profile by using metabolomic approach. We also investigated whether the effect of energy restriction can be further enhanced by modification of dietary protein source and calcium. METHODS： Liver metabolomic profile of lean and obese C57BI/6J mice （n = 10/group） were compared with two groups of weight-reduced mice. ER was performed on control diet and whey protein-based high-calcium diet （whey ＋ Ca）. The metabolomic analyses were performed using the UPLC/MS based lipidomic platform and the HPLC/MS/MS based primary metabolite platform.RESULTS： ER on both diets significantly reduced hepatic lipid accumulation and lipid droplet size, while only whey ＋ Ca diet significantly decreased blood glucose （P 〈 0.001） and serum insulin （P 〈 0.01）. In hepatic lipid species the biggest reduction was in the level of triacylglycerols and cerarnides while the level of cholesterol esters was significantly increased during ER. Interestingly, diacylglycerol to phospholipid ratio, an indicator of relative amount of diabetogenic diglyceride species, was increased in the control ER group, but decreased in the whey ＋ Ca ER group （P 〈 0.001, vs obese）. ER on whey ＋ Ca diet also totally reversed the obesity induced increase in the relative level of lipotoxic cerarnides （P 〈 0.001, vs obese; P 〉 0.05, vs lean）. These changes were accompanied with up-regulated TCA cycle and pentose phosphate pathway rnetabolites. CONCLUSION： ER-induced changes on hepatic rnetabolornic profile can be significantly affected by dietary protein source. The therapeutic potential of whey protein and calcium should be further studied.

Correlation of fatty liver and abdominal fat distribution using a simple fat computed tomography protocol

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between hepatic fat infiltration and abdominal fat volume by using computed tomography (CT).METHODS: Three hundred and six patients who visited our obesity clinic between November 2007 and April 2008 underwent fat protocol CT scans.The age range of the patients was 19 to 79 years and the mean age was 49 years.The male to female ratio was 116:190.Liver and spleen attenuation measurements were taken with three regions of interests (ROIs) from the liver and two ROIs from the spleen.Hepatic attenuation indices (HAIs) were measured as follows: (1) hepatic parenchymal attenuation (CTLP);(2) liver to spleen attenuation ratio (LS ratio);and (3) difference between hepatic and splenic attenuation (LSdif).Abdominal fat volume was measured using a 3 mm slice CT scan starting at the level of the umbilicus and was automatically calculated by a workstation.Abdominal fat was classified into total fat (TF),visceral fat (VF),and subcutaneous fat (SF).We used a bivariate correlation method to assess the relationship between the three HAIs and TF,VF,and SF.RESULTS: There were significant negative correlations between CTLP,LS ratio,and LSdif with TF,VF,and SF,respectively.The CTLP showed a strong negative correlation with TF and VF (r = -0.415 and -0.434,respectively,P < 0.001).The correlation between CTLP and SF was less significant (r = -0.313,P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: Fatty infiltration of the liver was correlated with amount of abdominal fat and VF was more strongly associated with fatty liver than SF.

Non-invasive determination of hepatic steatosis by acoustic structure quantification from ultrasound echo amplitude

AIM:To use leptin-deficient(ob/ob) mice with demonstrated differences in steatosis levels to test a new diagnostic method using the acoustical structure quantification(ASQ) mode and the associated analytical parameter,"focal disturbance ratio"(FD-ratio).METHODS:Nine ob/ob mice,at 5,8,and 12 wk of age(n = 3 in each age group),were used as models for hepatic steatosis.Echo signals obtained from ultrasonography in the mice were analyzed by ASQ,which uses a statistical analysis of echo amplitude to estimate inhomogeneity in the diagnostic region.FD-ratio,as calculated from this analysis,was the focus of the present study.FD-ratio and fat droplet areas and sizes were compared between age groups.RESULTS:No fibrosis or inflammation was observed in any of the groups.The fat droplet area significantly(P < 0.01) increased with age from 1.25% ± 0.28% at 5 wk to 31.07% ± 0.48% at 8 wk to 51.69% ± 3.19% at 12 wk.The median fat droplet size also significantly(P < 0.01) increased with age,from 1.33(0.55-10.52) m at 5 wk,2.82(0.61-44.13) m at 8 wk and 6.34(0.66-81.83) m at 12 wk.The mean FD-ratio was 0.42 ± 0.11 at 5 wk,0.11 ± 0.05 at 8 wk,and 0.03 ± 0.02 at 12 wk.The FD-ratio was significantly lower at 12 wk than at 5 wk and 8 wk(P < 0.01).A significant negative correlation was observed between the FD-ratio and either the fat droplet area(r =-0.7211,P = 0.0017) or fat droplet size(r =-0.9811,P = 0.0052).CONCLUSION:This tool for statistical analysis of signals from ultrasonography using the FD-ratio can be used to accurately quantify fat in vivo in an animal model of hepatic steatosis,and may serve as a quantitative biomarker of hepatic steatosis.

LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN ENHANCES THE EFFECT OF aFGF IN ACCELERATING NEOVASCULA-RIZATION

Objective To explore the potential of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in combination cooperated with aFGF in accelerating neovascularization in vivo. Methods Ischemic model was set up in the right hindlimbs of 28 New Zealand white rabbits. Four groups of animals treated with saline, LMWH, aFGF and aFGF plus LMWH were allocated equally in group Ⅰ, group Ⅱ, group Ⅲ and group Ⅳ respectively. Vascular neovascularization and smooth muscular thickness of the ischemic hindlimb vessels of each animal in different groups were compared with each other on the 28th day postoperatively by angiography with DSA and the standard immunoperoxidase technique. Results No significant neovascularization was seen when aFGF adiministered in low dosage by venous infusion. But when the same dosage of aFGF plus LMWH were administered by venous infusion, a significant neovascularization was observed. Conclusion LMWH can potentiate aFGF in accelerating neovascularization.

Effect of BEDGEN 40 on Growth, Anti-Oxidant Activity and Resistance against Aeromonas Hydrophila Infection in Tilapia （Oreochromis niloticus x O. aureus）

The globe artichoke has become important as a medicinal herb in recent years following the discovery of cynarin. This bitter-tasting compound, which is found in the leaves, improves liver and gall bladder function, stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, especially bile, and lowers blood cholesterol levels. The leaves are anticholesterolemic, antirheumatic, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic and lithontripic. BEDGEN 40 , a compound made with Cynara scolymus L. （artichoke） extract and choline chloride was evaluated for growth performance and anti-oxidant activity in tilapia. There were four treatment groups; group 1 was fed only with a basal diet and served as the control, group 2 - 4 were experimental groups that received 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg BEDGEN 40 , respectively, added to the basal diet and fed for 8 weeks. The results showed signifi- cant differences for weight gain, feed conversion, and protein efficiency in fish diets containing 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg BEDGEN 40 compared to the control. Generally, BEDGEN 40 improved the body condition factor and hepatosomatic index of tilapia, and reduced liver fat content. Fish consum- ing BEDGEN 40 also exhibited improved liver antioxidant status. BEDGEN 40 （300, or 600 mg/kg） was also found to significantly reduce the mortality of tilapia subsequently challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila.

Effect of electroacupuncture on hepatic blood flow and lipid peroxidation in rats with sepsis

Objective To investigate protective effects of electroacupuncture on injury of lipid peroxidation-induced by liver ischemia in rats with sepsis.Methods Forty-eight male SD rats were subjected to sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture （CLP）,and were randomly divided into a sham operation group （group A）,a CLP model group （group B）,a CLP model plus electroacupuncture （EA） at Zúsānlǐ （足三里 ST 36） group （group C）,a CLP model plus electroacupuncture at a sham acupoint group （group D）,a CLP model with vagotomy group （group E） and a CLP model plus electroacupuncture group after vagotomy （group F）,with 8 rats in each group.CLP was performed after abdominal vagotomy in group E and group F.EA （2 mA,2/100 Hz） was applied at bilateral ＂Zúsānlǐ＂ （足三里 ST 36） in group C and group F,and at sham acupoints in group D,respectively,for 1 hour.The hepatic blood flow （HBF） was detected by a laser-doppler flowmetry at 6 hours after CLP.The activity of plasma alanine transarninase （ALT） was determined;contents of hepatic malondialdehyde （MDA）,activity of xanthine oxidase （XOD） and the rate of water content in the hepati tissue were assessed,respectively.Results Hepatic blood flow was （56.97±11.95） U in group C,which was significantly lower than （80.12± 19.57） U shown in group A,but higher than （42.61±10.97） U in group B,（44.53±9.23） U in group D,（30.05 ±4.46） U in group E and （30.46±6.38） U in group F （all P0.05） at 6 hours after CLP.Meanwhile,the levels of MDA,XOD,ALT and hepatic water content in group C were all significantly higher than those in group A,but lower than those in the other four groups （all P0.05）.The levels of MDA,XOD,ALT and hepatic water content in group E and group F were all significantly higher than those in group D （all P0.05）,while their hepatic blood flow were lower than that in group D （both P0.05）,and no significant differences were found in all the indices mentioned above between group E and group F （all P0.05）.Conclusion Electroacupuncture at ＂Zúsānlǐ＂ （足三里 ST 36） can improve hepatic ischemia,inhibit lipid peroxidation and alleviate hepatic edema and dysfunction in septic rats,which might be related with the completeness of vagus nerves.