Phenylmethimazole abrogates diet-induced inflammation, glucose intolerance and NAFLD

Anti-Inflammatory and Therapeutic Effects of a Novel Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Inflammation in a Male C57BL/6J Mouse Model of Obesity-Induced NAFLD/MAFLD

Purpose

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently renamed metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States. Presently, there is an intense and ongoing effort to identify and develop novel therapeutics for this disease. In this study, we explored the anti-inflammatory activity of a new compound, termed IOI-214, and its therapeutic potential to ameliorate NAFLD/MAFLD in male C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat (HF) diet.

Methods

Murine macrophages and hepatocytes in culture were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ± IOI-214 or DMSO (vehicle), and RT-qPCR analyses of inflammatory cytokine gene expression were used to assess IOI-214's anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. Male C57BL/6J mice were also placed on a HF diet and treated once daily with IOI-214 or DMSO for 16 weeks. Tissues were collected and analyzed to determine the effects of IOI-214 on HF diet-induced NAFL D/MAFLD. Measurements such as weight, blood glucose, serum cholesterol, liver/serum triglyceride, insulin, and glucose tolerance tests, ELISAs, metabolomics, Western blots, histology, gut microbiome, and serum LPS binding protein analyses were conducted.

Results

IOI-214 inhibited LPS-induced inflammation in macrophages and hepatocytes in culture and abrogated HF diet-induced mesenteric fat accumulation, hepatic inflammation and steatosis/hepatocellular ballooning, as well as fasting hyperglycemia without affecting insulin resistance or fasting insulin, cholesterol or TG levels despite overall obesity in vivo in male C57BL/6J mice. IOI-214 also decreased systemic inflammation in vivo and improved gut microbiota dysbiosis and leaky gut.

Conclusion

Combined, these data indicate that IOI-214 works at multiple levels in parallel to inhibit the inflammation that drives HF diet-induced NAFLD/MAFLD, suggesting that it may have therapeutic potential for NAFLD/MAFLD.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIVING HABITS AND METABOLIC DISEASES IN COMMUNITY POPULATIONS BASED ON ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS OF NAFLD

ABSTRACT As a common metabolic disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common type of liver disease in western developed countries and an important liver disease in the Asia Pacific region. At present, NAFLD lacks targeted conventional therapy and its basic treatment is the correction of bad living habits. In order to verify the effectiveness of the basic treatment of NAFLD, and explore the prevention methods of NAFLD, this study used ultrasound diagnosis, baseline survey and follow-up survey, and conducted a cross-sectional study on the correlation between nighttime and midday sleep duration and NAFLD, and carried out a prospective study on the correlation between sleep duration and NAFLD. The results showed that there was a negative correlation between the length of sleep at night and the prevalence of NAFLD, while the length of midday sleep was positively correlated with the prevalence of NAFLD. The time of night sleep was an independent factor of NAFLD, and the relationship between midday sleep time and NAFLD was not statistically significant. NAFLD-susceptible people can prevent NAFLD by ensuring adequate sleep at night and reducing midday sleep. This study is expected to provide theoretical reference and data support for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

Dietary inulin alleviates diverse stages of type 2 diabetes mellitus via anti-inflammation and modulating gut microbiota in db/db mice

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is closely correlated with chronic low-grade inflammation and gut dysbiosis. Prebiotic inulin (INU) is conducive to modulate gut dysbiosis. However, the impact of dietary inulin on the diverse stages of T2DM remains largely unknown. In the present study, according to the fasting blood glucose (FBG) and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), mice were randomly divided into six groups (15 mice per group): pre-diabetic group (PDM group); inulin-treated pre-diabetic group (INU/PDM group); early diabetic group (EDM group); inulin-treated early diabetic group (INU/EDM group); diabetic group (DM group); inulin-treated diabetic group (INU/DM group). All animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (No. 2016-232). After 6 weeks of inulin intervention, the mice were euthanized and the associated indicators were investigated. Dietary inulin significantly reduced FBG, body weights (BWs), glycated hemoglobin (GHb), blood lipid, plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-17A in the three inulin-treated groups compared to the untreated groups. But for IL-17A, there remained no significant difference between the PDM group and the INU/PDM group. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory IL-10 showed significant alteration in the INU/PDM and INU/EDM groups, but no significant alteration in the INU/DM group. Sequencing analysis of the gut microbiota showed an elevation in the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and Bacteroides and a reduction in the relative abundance of Ruminiclostridium_6 in three inulin-treated different stages of T2DM groups, as well as a reduction in the relative abundance of Deferribacteres and Tenericutes in the INU/DM group. A reduction in the relative abundance of Mucispirillum was detected in the INU/PDM and INU/EDM groups. Correlation analysis revealed that Cyanobacteria and Bacteroides abundance were positively correlated with IL-10; Deferribacteres, Tenericutes, Mucispirillum and Ruminiclostridium_6 abundance were closely related to IL-6, TNF-α or IL-17A respectively. Additionally, Mucispirillum and Ruminiclostridium_6 abundance were positively correlated with LPS. Taken together, dietary inulin alleviated the diverse stages of T2DM via suppressing inflammation and modulating gut microbiota.

Intermediary effect of inflammation on the association between dietary patterns and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have demonstrated that nutritional status is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Meanwhile, subclinical inflammation is associated with the prevalence of NAFLD. To our knowledge, however, no study has investigated the intermediary effect of inflammation on the association between dietary pattern and NAFLD. Thus, the aim of this case-control study was to explore the intermediary effect of inflammation on the association between dietary patterns and NAFLD.

METHODS

Using the propensity score matching method, we generated 2043 cases and 2043 controls. Dietary intake was assessed using a valid self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Major dietary patterns in the population were derived by factor analysis. Reduced rank regression with leukocyte count as a response variable was used to derive an inflammatory pattern. NAFLD was diagnosed by liver ultrasonography and drinking history. The association between dietary patterns and NAFLD was tested using multiple conditional logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Three major dietary patterns were derived by factor analysis: sweet pattern, animal foods pattern, and traditional pattern. Compared with participants in the lowest quartile of the animal foods pattern, the odds ratio (OR; 95% confidence interval [CI]) of NAFLD in the highest quartile was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.09-1.55). After adjustment of inflammation status, the OR was weaker (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.03-1.48), albeit significant. Compared with the participants in the lowest quartile of inflammatory pattern, the OR of NAFLD in the highest quartile was 1.52 (95% CI, 1.28-1.81).

CONCLUSION

The present data suggested that inflammation may mediate the association between dietary patterns and NAFLD.