Effect of vanillic acid and exercise training on fatty liver and insulin resistance in rats: Possible role of fibroblast growth factor 21 and autophagy

Abstract Background and aims The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has been alarmingly increased with no lines of effective treatment. Vanillic acid is a naturally occurring polyphenol with promising therapeutic effects. Exercise is well known to be an effective tool against obesity and its consequences. Thus, we aim to study the effect of vanillic acid alone and along with exercise on fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet in a rat model and to investigate possible novel mechanisms involved in their action. Methods In this study, 40 male rats were divided equally into five groups: control (standard chow diet), HFD (high-fat diet), HFD+VA (HFD+ vanillic acid (50 mg/kg/day orally), HFD+EX (HFD+ swimming exercise 5 days/week), HFD+VA+EX (HFD+ vanillic acid+ swimming exercise) for eight weeks. Results Body mass, liver weight, liver enzymes, cholesterol, and triglycerides were significantly decreased in the combined VA+EX group, with marked improvement in hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and consequently HOMA-IR index compared to the HFD group. These improvements were also reflected in the pathological view. VA and swimming, either solely or in combination, markedly increased hepatic and circulating fibroblast growth factor 21. Additionally, VA and swimming increased the immunohistochemical expression of the autophagosomal marker LC3 and decreased the expression of P62, which is selectively degraded during autophagy. Conclusions These results suggest the hepatoprotective effect of VA and swimming exercise against fatty liver and the involvement of FGF21 and autophagy in their effect.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e0148252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garima Singhal ◽  
ffolliott Martin Fisher ◽  
Melissa J. Chee ◽  
Tze Guan Tan ◽  
Abdelfattah El Ouaamari ◽  
...  

Cytokine ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Sun ◽  
Gangyi Yang ◽  
Mengliu Yang ◽  
Hua Liu ◽  
Guenther Boden ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pongpan Tanajak ◽  
Wanpitak Pongkan ◽  
Siriporn C Chattipakorn ◽  
Nipon Chattipakorn

Propose: To investigate the temporal relationship between plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 levels, insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction and cardiac fibroblast growth factor 21 resistance in long-term high-fat diet–induced obese rats. Methods: In total, 36 male Wistar rats were fed with either a normal diet or high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Blood was collected from the tail tip, and plasma was used to determine metabolic profiles and fibroblast growth factor 21 levels. Rats were sacrificed at weeks 4, 8 and 12, and the hearts were rapidly removed for the determination of cardiac fibroblast growth factor 21 signalling pathways. Results: Body weight and plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 levels were increased after 4 weeks of consumption of a high-fat diet. At weeks 8 and 12, high-fat diet rats had significantly increased body weight and plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 levels, together with increased plasma insulin, HOMA index, area under the curve of glucose, plasma total cholesterol, plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, serum malondialdehyde and cardiac malondialdehyde levels. However, plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and cardiac fibroblast growth factor 21 signalling proteins (p-FGFR1 Tyr154, p-ERK1/2 Thr202/Tyr204 and p-Akt Ser473) were decreased, compared with normal diet rats. Conclusion: These findings suggest that plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 levels could be an early predictive biomarker prior to the development of insulin resistance, metabolic disturbance and cardiac fibroblast growth factor 21 resistance.


Metabolism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 153994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Tucker ◽  
Huating Li ◽  
Xiaoxue Long ◽  
Kerry-Anne Rye ◽  
Kwok Leung Ong

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