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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Optimized Analysis of In Vivo and In Vitro Hepatic Steatosis
Published on: March 11, 2017
Metabolic profiling of livers and blood from obese Zucker rats
Natalie J Serkova1, Matthew Jackman, Jaimi L Brown
1Biomedical MRI/NMR, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, USA.
Background/Aims:
Obesity frequently leads to changes in fatty acid metabolism with subsequent fatty infiltration in the liver.
Methods:
In this study, metabolic profile of the livers and blood from lean and obese Zucker rats was established based on quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analysis.
Results:
(1)H NMR on liver lipid extracts indicated significantly increased concentrations of total fatty acids and triglycerides. (31)P NMR on liver extracts revealed that obese livers have a compromised energy balance (low [ATP/ADP]) with decreased mitochondrial activity. Simultaneously, increased glycolytic activity was detected. The most pronounced differences were highly increased methionine and decreased betaine concentrations in obese animals. This suggests a significant alteration in methionine metabolism, which may be in part responsible for the development of steatosis, induction of mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased vulnerability of fatty livers to ischemia/reperfusion injury. A trend towards decreased hepatic glutathione concentrations as well as a reduced [PUFA/MUFA] ratio were present in the obese group, indicating increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation.
Conclusions:
In conclusion, NMR analysis on blood and liver tissue from obese Zucker rats reveals specific metabolic abnormalities in mitochondrial function and methionine metabolism, which result in a decreased hepatic energy state.
