Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Current Perspectives and Future Direction in Disease pathogenesis, Treatment and Diagnosis

Antioxidant Versus Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Mushroom-Enriched Diets on Mitochondria in Liver Disease

Mitochondria play a central role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progression and in the control of cell death signalling during the progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Associated with the metabolic syndrome, NAFLD is mostly driven by insulin-resistant white adipose tissue lipolysis that results in an increased hepatic fatty acid influx and the ectopic accumulation of fat in the liver. Upregulation of beta-oxidation as one compensatory mechanism leads to an increase in mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle flux and ATP generation. The progression of NAFLD is associated with alterations in the mitochondrial molecular composition and respiratory capacity, which increases their vulnerability to different stressors, including calcium and pro-inflammatory molecules, which result in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that, altogether, may ultimately lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. This may activate further pro-inflammatory pathways involved in the progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis (NASH). Mushroom-enriched diets, or the administration of their isolated bioactive compounds, have been shown to display beneficial effects on insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation by regulating nutrient uptake and lipid metabolism as well as modulating the antioxidant activity of the cell. In addition, the gut microbiota has also been described to be modulated by mushroom bioactive molecules, with implications in reducing liver inflammation during NAFLD progression. Dietary mushroom extracts have been reported to have anti-tumorigenic properties and to induce cell-death via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. This calls for particular attention to the potential therapeutic properties of these natural compounds which may push the development of novel pharmacological options to treat NASH and HCC. We here review the diverse effects of mushroom-enriched diets in liver disease, emphasizing those effects that are dependent on mitochondria.

Dolichos lablab Protects Against Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice Fed High-Fat Diets

Hyacinth bean, Dolichos lablab or Lablab purpureus, has been used for centuries in India and China as an edible pod and animal forage, as well as to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disease in traditional Korean medicine. Recently, we have demonstrated that D. lablab extract (DLL-Ex) prevented free fatty acid-induced lipid accumulation in an in vitro cellular nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) model. In this study, we, thus, aimed at clarifying the hepatoprotective effects of DLL-Ex in a high-fat diet-induced in vivo animal NAFLD model, as well as at elucidating underlying mechanisms of identified effects. Sixty, 6-week-old, male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups: a control group fed a low-fat diet, four high-fat diet (HFD) groups, three receiving daily oral supplementation of DLL-Ex (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day), and one HFD group receiving daily oral supplementation of MILK (100 mg/kg/day). Effects of DLL-Ex supplementation were evaluated by histopathological and histochemical assessments. DLL-Ex supplementation inhibited HFD-induced increases in body weight and body fat mass and ameliorated increases in body weight, manifested as decreased liver function tests, lower serum triglycerides and cholesterol levels, and increased serum adiponectin levels. The expression of hepatic genes involved in lipid droplet accumulation and in fatty acid uptake was also decreased. We provide evidence of a protective effect of DLL-Ex against HFD-induced fatty liver disease in an animal model.