Synergistic salvation: HIIT and herbal allies reverse NAFLD damage in rats

Fatty liver disease is a build-up of fats in the liver that can damage the organ and lead to serious complications. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exercise training and supplementation (milk thistle, chicory and cumin) on liver metabolites related to its function and health in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Forty adult male Wistar rats with an average weight of 215 ± 10 g were divided into a control group fed on the basal diet and four experimental groups fed with high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks to induce non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The 4 NAFLD groups were subdivided and treated with (a) plain HFD, (b) high-intensity interval training (HIIT), (c) supplement (milk thistle, chicory, and cumin), and (d) combined HIIT and supplementation for 4 weeks. The induction of NAFLD through HFD yielded dyslipidemia, liver tissue damage, increased malondialdehyde, uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), as well as decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) in liver tissue (p < 0.05). The 4 weeks intervention with either HIIT, supplement or especially the combined application of both, reversed these factors (p < 0.05) through changes in their concentrations in a direction indicative of enhanced liver health and function. HIIT beside supplementation (milk thistle, chicory, and cumin) improved indices related to oxidative stress, lipid profile, and the expression of PI3K, UCP2, PGC-1α genes expression and PGC-1α protein content, making it potentially promising in the treatment of liver damage caused by HFD.