Western diet-induced mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with metabolic outcomes: Features of gut microbiome-liver-adipose tissue axis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to establish a mouse model of NAFLD induced by Western Diet (WD) to investigate its effects on the gut microbiome-liver-adipose tissue axis and metabolic disorders.
Results Summary
The WD induced metabolic disorders (high cholesterol, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia), liver steatosis, fibrosis, inflammation, obesity, and gut dysbiosis, closely resembling human NAFLD. Bacteroidetes depletion correlated with adverse outcomes in both mice and human NAFLD patients.
Population
Male C57 BL6 mice
Effective Dosage
High-fat (30% lard, 0.2% cholesterol, ~57% calories) and sucrose-rich (20%) chow, plus high-sugar solution (23.1 g/L D-fructose, 18.9 g/L D-glucose)
Duration
6 months
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | extensive macro/microvesicular liver steatosis and pericellular fibrosis | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | resulted in | #1 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | high serum cholesterol levels | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | featured | #2 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | glucose intolerance | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | featured | #3 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | hyperinsulinemia | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | featured | #4 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | hepatic stellate cell activation | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | accompanied by | #5 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | CD68+ macrophage infiltration in liver | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | accompanied by | #6 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | protein levels of proinflammatory p65-nuclear factor-κB | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | increased | #7 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | protein levels of interleukin-6 | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | increased | #8 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | protein levels of tumor necrosis factor-α | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | increased | #9 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | decrease | antioxidant regulator Nrf2 | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | decreased | #10 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | clear obesity | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #11 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | adipocyte hypertrophy | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #12 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | CD68+ macrophage/mast cell infiltration in adipose tissue | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #13 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | decrease | reduction in number of goblet cells in the small intestine | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | observed | #14 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | decrease | decreased bacterial diversity in gut cecal content | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #15 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | enriched Firmicutes in gut cecal content | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #16 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | enriched Proteobacteria in gut cecal content | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #17 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | decrease | decreased Bacteroidetes in gut cecal content | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #18 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | decrease | decreased Fusobacteria in gut cecal content | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #19 |
6-month Western diet (high-fat, high-sugar) intervention | increase | increased ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes in gut cecal content | Male C57 BL6 mice | - | showed | #20 |
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese patients | decrease | depletion in Bacteroides in gut microbiome | NAFLD obese patients | - | revealed | #21 |
OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a growing epidemiologic and economic burden. It is associated with Western diet (WD) patterns, and its pathogenesis involves metabolic disorders (obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and diabetes) and gut dysbiosis, features that are usually neglected or not reproduced by most animal models. Thus, we established a 6-mo WD-induced NAFLD mouse model associated with metabolic disorder, investigating its main features at the gut microbiome-liver-adipose tissue axis, also evaluating the correlations of gut dysbiosis to the other disease outcomes. METHODS: Male C57 BL6 mice received a high-fat (30% lard and 0.2% cholesterol, ∼57% calories) and sucrose-rich (20%) chow, and a high-sugar solution (23.1 and 18.9 g/L of D-fructose and D-glucose) for 6 mo. RESULTS: The model featured high serum cholesterol levels, glucose intolerance, and hyperinsulinemia. WD intervention resulted in extensive macro/microvesicular liver steatosis and pericellular fibrosis-resembling human disease-accompanied by hepatic stellate cell activation and CD68+ macrophage infiltration, increased protein levels of proinflammatory p65-nuclear factor-κB, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, with decreased antioxidant regulator Nrf2. Mice showed clear obesity with adipocyte hypertrophy, and CD68+macrophage/mast cell infiltration in adipose tissue while a reduction in number of goblet cells was also observed in the small intestine. Moreover, the pyrosequencing of the 16 S ribosomal RNA of gut cecal content showed decreased bacterial diversity, enriched Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, decreased Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria, and increased ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Bacteroidetes and Bacteroides had the highest number of significant correlations with liver-adipose tissue axis outcomes. In silico analysis of gut microbiome in NAFLD obese patients revealed a depletion in Bacteroides, which also correlated to disease outcomes. CONCLUSION: This mice model gathered suitable phenotypical alterations in gut-liver-adipose tissue axis that resembled NAFLD associated with metabolic disorders in humans and may be considered for preclinical investigation.