Objective: To study the effect of liver fatty acid binding protein(L-FABP) and fatty acid transport protein (FATP4) in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats.
Methods: The expression of L-FABP and FATP4 genes was examined in fatty liver rats by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification and Western blot methods.
Results: In the high fat diet group (F), mRNA and protein expression of L-FABP and FATP4 were increased at 2 weeks, and they increased remarkably at 12 weeks (P < 0.05; L-FABP mRNA F=124.9, protein expression F=92.6; FATP4 mRNA F=602.9, protein expression F=108.8).
Conclusion: The high expression of L-FABP and FATP4 at the early stage is an adaptive reaction of the body, With the advanced expression of the L-FABP and FATP4, it can lead to a fatty acid disequilibrium and then result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the rats.