Effect of Myriocin on Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Male Albino Rats

Background: The pathogenesis of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is largely attributed to insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Purpose of the Study: To investigate the effect of myriocin on NAFLD in male albino rats.Material and Methods: 30 adult male albino rats of local strain were divided into three groups, 10 rats in each; control group, High Fat Diet (HFD) group, and HFD+myriocin group. At the end of experiment, the animals were sacrificed. Serum levels of glucose, insulin, Free Fatty Acids (FFA), liver enzymes, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-10 were determined. Moreover, the levels of Protein Carbonyl (PC), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in hepatic tissue. Also, serum and hepatic Triglycerides (TG) were determined. Daily food intake, body weight, liver weight and liver/body weight were determind.Results: Compared to control, HFD-group, there was significant increase in serum levels of glucose, insulin, FFA, ALT, AST, IL-1β, hepatic levels of PC, TNF-α, serum and hepatic TG, body weight, liver weight and liver/body weight ratio, with significant decrease of serum IL-10. Myriocin treatment significantly decreased serum glucose, insulin, FFA, ALT, AST, IL-1β, hepatic levels of PC, TNF-α, serum and hepatic TG, body weight, liver weight and liver/body weight ratio, with significant increase of serum IL-10. Food intake insignificantly changed in all groups.Conclusions: Myriocin treatment reduced hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress. Thus, modulation of ceramide synthesis may lead to the development of novel strategies for the treatment of NAFLD.