COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF SILYMARIN, FENOFIBRATE, BETAINE AND ADEMETIONINE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEATOHEPATITIS IN WISTAR RATS.

BACKGROUND

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously termed NAFLD/MAFLD, can be reproduced in rats by a high-fructose diet and leads to hepatic steatosis and liver injury.

AIM: To evaluate and compare the effects of silymarin, fenofibrate, betaine and ademetionine on biochemical and morphological manifestations of high-fructose-induced MASLD in rats.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats (n=20 per group) were fed a high-fructose diet for 5 weeks and treated with one of the four agents. Serum ALT and AST activities and hepatic triglyceride (TG) content were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post hoc test; results are presented as mean±SD.

RESULTS

In the fructose control group ALT and AST were 95.2±2.8 and 88.0±2.1 U/L, respectively; hepatic TG concentration was 12.50±0.38 mg/g. Fenofibrate produced the most pronounced effect, lowering hepatic TG by about 60 % (5.02±0.22 mg/g, p<0.001) and reducing ALT and AST by about 40 % (56.8±2.9 U/L and 55.0±2.4 U/L, p<0.001). Silymarin and betaine induced intermediate reductions (all p<0.001), whereas ademetionine markedly lowered transaminases (p<0.001) with only modest effects on hepatic TG (11.94±0.28 mg/g, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Fenofibrate was the most effective agent in preventing fructose-induced hepatic steatosis and transaminase elevation, in line with activation of PPAR-α-dependent β-oxidation and inhibition of lipogenesis.