COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF SILYMARIN, FENOFIBRATE, BETAINE AND ADEMETIONINE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF...

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Metabolic Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly NAFLD/MAFLD, is a growing health concern.
• High-fructose diets in animal models reliably induce MASLD, characterized by hepatic steatosis and liver injury.
• Understanding therapeutic interventions for MASLD is crucial for managing liver health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of silymarin, fenofibrate, betaine, and ademetionine in treating diet-induced MASLD.
• To assess the impact of these agents on key biochemical markers of liver injury.
• To evaluate morphological changes associated with MASLD and treatment responses.

Main Methods:

• Male Wistar rats were fed a high-fructose diet for five weeks to induce MASLD.
• Animals were treated with silymarin, fenofibrate, betaine, or ademetionine.
• Serum ALT, AST, and hepatic triglyceride levels were measured to assess treatment efficacy.

Main Results:

• Fenofibrate significantly reduced hepatic triglycerides by approximately 60% and lowered ALT/AST levels by 40%.
• Silymarin and betaine demonstrated intermediate improvements in MASLD markers.
• Ademetionine effectively reduced transaminases but had minimal impact on hepatic triglyceride accumulation.

Conclusions:

• Fenofibrate emerged as the most potent agent against fructose-induced hepatic steatosis and elevated transaminases.
• The study suggests fenofibrate's efficacy is linked to PPAR-α activation, promoting fatty acid oxidation and reducing fat synthesis.
• These findings highlight fenofibrate as a promising therapeutic candidate for MASLD.