[Effects of lycopene on metabolism of glycolipid and inflammation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease rats]

Objective: To investigate the effects of lycopene on metabolism of glycolipid and inflammation in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Methods: According to body weight, sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, non-alcoholic fatty liver model group, 20, 60 mg/kg lycopene intervention groups, with 15 rats in each group. The control group was fed normal diet, and the other 3 groups were fed high-fat and high-fructose diet for 4 weeks to establish the model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. After modeling, the intervention groups were fed lycopene of different doses by gavage. After 8 weeks of continuous feeding, the rats were sacrificed, the body weight and liver weight were weighed, and the liver index was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the morphological changes of liver tissue. Serum was collected, fasting blood glucose(FBG), fasting insulin(INS), and insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR) were calculated; Liver function indicators alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST) were measured; Serum triglycerides(TG), total cholesterol(TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C) and levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-18(IL-18) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β) were measured.

Results: Compared with the control group, the liver weight and liver index in the model group increased by 27% and 24%, respectively; And steatosis occurred in the liver tissue; The levels of serum ALT, TG, TC, LDL-C, IL-6, IL-1β were significantly increased, the level of serum HDL-C was significantly decreased(P<0. 05). Compared with the model group, liver weight, liver index, levels of serum ALT, TG, FBG, IL-6 and IL-1β were significantly lower in the 20, 60 mg/kg lycopene intervention groups(P<0. 05), the INS and HOMA-IR index showed a downward trend; Liver tissue lesions were reduced to different degrees, and the effect was more significant in the 60 mg/kg lycopene group.

Conclusion: Lycopene can improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating glycolipid metabolism and reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines in rats.