Calorie-restriction treatment mitigates the aging in rat liver model

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Hepatology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Aging is characterized by impaired homeostasis and increased disease risk, notably systemic chronic inflammation.
• Aging-induced liver dysfunction includes metabolic dysfunction-associated steatosis and fibrosis.
• Caloric restriction (CR) is a known intervention to delay biological aging through various mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of CR on aging-mediated liver inflammation markers in an in vivo rat model.
• To explore how CR affects liver fibrosis, oxidative balance, and key signaling pathways related to aging and metabolism.

Main Methods:

• 14 male Sprague-Dawley rats (24 months old) were studied.
• Rats were divided into normal diet (ND) and CR (60% intake) groups from 18 to 24 months of age.
• Liver tissues were analyzed for morphological changes, fibrotic markers, oxidative stress enzymes, inflammasome signaling, and metabolic signaling pathways.

Main Results:

• CR group showed reduced liver fibrosis and expression of collagen I, fibronectin, and αSMA compared to ND.
• CR improved liver oxidative balance, indicated by increased SOD1/SOD expression.
• CR reduced NLRP3 inflammasome signaling and enhanced AMPK/SIRT1/LKB1 signaling.

Conclusions:

• CR demonstrates significant metabolic benefits in combating aging-related liver inflammation.
• CR induces morphological liver improvements associated with reduced inflammatory molecular markers.
• CR positively impacts key aging-related metabolic and inflammatory pathways in the liver.