Age-related fat deposition in multifidus muscle could be a marker for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract The objective of the proposed study is to investigate the feasibility of the marmoset as an animal model to study age-associated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This chronic liver disease includes a spectrum of disorders ranging from increased triglyceride accumulation in the liver or hepatic steatosis to the more severe inflammatory form nonalcoholic steatohepatitis that can lead to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals who do not have a history of alcohol abuse. Aging increases the prevalence of NAFLD and is strongly associated with the progression and severity of this disease. End-stage hepatic failure and liver cancer resulting from advanced NAFLD are leading indications for liver transplantation enhancing the burden on our healthcare systems. Accumulating clinical evidence also suggests that patients with NAFLD have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the development and progression of NAFLD are poorly understood and as such, there is a lack of effective therapies. The common marmoset is a relatively short-lived non-human primate that recapitulates many of the physiological changes that occur in human aging. We hypothesized an age-associated increase in hepatic steatosis and alterations in serum lipid profile in the marmoset model. An increase in triglyceride levels and oil red o staining in liver tissues of old marmosets compared to young animals was observed suggesting an age-associated increase in hepatic steatosis in marmosets as observed in humans. Lipidomic studies were also performed using blood samples from male and female marmosets to investigate age-associated changes in specific lipid species, which are characteristic of aberrant lipid metabolism. Analysis of the results revealed significant decreases in several phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingomyelin species in the plasma of old marmosets compared to young marmosets. We are now performing studies to determine whether the observed changes in different lipid species could influence the development of cardiovascular disease and provide new insights underlying the mechanisms of NAFLD development with aging.

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Hype or Reality: Should Patients with Metabolic Syndromerelated NAFLD be on the Hunter-Gatherer (Paleo) Diet to Decrease Morbidity?

Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases ◽

10.15403/jgld.2014.1121.243.gta ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 359-368 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Giovanni Tarantino ◽

Vincenzo Citro ◽

Carmine Finelli

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Glycemic Load ◽

Major Health Problem ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Age Related

The current Western diet figures centrally in the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the emerging major health problem nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, all of them negatively impacting on life expectancy. This type of diet is represented by a high calorie uptake, high glycemic load, high fat and meat intake, as well as increased consumption of fructose. On the contrary, a simplified way of eating healthily by excluding highly-processed foods, is presumed to be the Paleolithic diet (a diet based on vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, organ meats) which improves insulin resistance, ameliorates dyslipidemia, reduces hypertension and may reduce the risk of age-related diseases. The diet is the foundation of the treatment of obesity- and type 2 diabetes-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and a diet similar to those of pre-agricultural societies may be an effective option. To lend sufficient credence to this type of diet, well-designed studies are needed.

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Liver osteopontin is required to prevent the progression of age‐related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Aging Cell ◽

10.1111/acel.13183 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (8) ◽

Author(s):

Beatriz Gómez‐Santos ◽

Diego Saenz de Urturi ◽

Maitane Nuñez‐García ◽

Francisco Gonzalez‐Romero ◽

Xabier Buque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Age Related

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Mechanisms and Implications of Age-Related Changes in the Liver: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Elderly

Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research ◽

10.1155/2011/831536 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Lay Gan ◽

Shivakumar Chitturi ◽

Geoffrey C. Farrell

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

The Elderly ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Decompensated Cirrhosis ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Age Related ◽

Increased Risk

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is hepatic steatosis associated with metabolic abnormalities such as overweight/central obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and dyslipidemia. NAFLD is becoming the most common liver disease in contemporary society, with the highest prevalence in those over 60 years. NAFLD pathology ranges from simple steatosis to a necroinflammatory fibrosing disorder called steatohepatitis (SH), the latter associated with high risk of developing cirrhosis, often occuring in the seventh to ninth decades of life. While the main health implications of NAFLD are increased risk of developing T2D, cardiovascular diseases, and common cancers, there is substantantially increased standardized mortality, and deaths from decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Little is known about the interactive effects of ageing and NAFLD, with most studies focusing on the younger population. This paper summarises the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical course of NAFLD, with particular attention to persons over age 60 years. An approach to the management of NASH and its complications in the elderly, will also be presented here.

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