Silicon-Enriched Restructured Meat Mitigates Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis in a Late-Stage Type 2...

Area of Science:

• Nutritional science
• Hepatology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) poses a significant health challenge, particularly in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
• Functional foods offer a potential nutritional strategy for managing MASH, especially when comorbidities like T2DM are present.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of silicon-enriched restructured meat (Si-RM) in ameliorating hepatic injury and metabolic disturbances.
• To evaluate Si-RM's impact on MASH in a rat model of late-stage T2DM.

Main Methods:

• Induction of early-stage and late-stage T2DM in rats using specific dietary and chemical protocols.
• Administration of Si-RM to a subset of late-stage T2DM rats for five weeks.
• Assessment of metabolic indices, liver histology, oxysterol profiles, key hepatic gene expression (ChREBP/SREBP-1c), cell proliferation/apoptosis balance, and antioxidant defenses.

Main Results:

• Late-stage T2DM rats exhibited significant histopathological and biochemical MASH.
• Si-RM consumption partially improved MASH, reducing lobular inflammation and enhancing antioxidant defenses.
• Si-RM modulated serum oxysterol profiles, downregulated hepatic ChREBP, restored SREBP-1c, and rebalanced the proliferation to apoptosis ratio.

Conclusions:

• Si-RM consumption mitigated MASH severity in a late-stage T2DM rat model.
• Si-RM improved hepatic oxidative and metabolic status, demonstrating its potential as a nutritional adjuvant.
• These findings support the therapeutic potential of Si-RM as an accessible strategy against MASH in T2DM patients.