Experimental Study On Hepcidin, IL-6Expression In Association With Inflammation Progress In Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

BACKGROUND:The relation between Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and iron metabolism is still controversial. NAFLD is a kind of oxidative stress-mediated liver injury with the characteristics of chronical fatty liver infiltration and lipotoxicity inflammatory. Iron metabolism disorder is considered to be one of the mechanisms of injury in NAFLD. Hepcidin(Hepc) is one of related-proteins to regulate iron metabolism. IL-6, a inflammatory cytokine, may mediate the upregulation of Hepc expression.OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to observe the correlation between the expression of Hepcidin, IL-6and the inflammatory process in liver of NAFLD model rat.METHODS:Wistar47male rats were randomly divided into the control group (C), and model group (M). There was no significant difference in body weight between the two groups. All the rats were fed under Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) condition for12weeks. Based on ordinary diet, the rats in group M were fed by gastric perfusion with high fat diet. And the rats in group C were fed with0.95%NS instead. The rats in group M were executed at the end of the4th,8th and12th week. The rats in group N were executed at the end of the12th week. The rats in body mass, liver size, liver index, AST and ALT serum levels were measured. Activity score of steatosis and inflammation in model rats were observed by HE staining. The expression of Hepc and IL-6in rat liver was detected by immunohistochemical method.RESULTS:Compared with group C, the liver of group M presented characteristic change with fatty infiltration, and the degree of lipotoxicity inflammatory increased with the experimental time with4week,8week and12week. All these pathological findings accorded with the diagnostic criteria of NAFLD. Compared with group C(12week), the expression of Hepc and IL-6in group M presented upregulation with the experimental time with4week,8week and12week significantly(p=0.000); And the expression of Hepc and IL-6in different group M was increasing with positively correlated(r=1.00).CONCLUSIONS:The study results suggest that Hepc, IL-6and lipotoxicity inflammatory are closely related. Therefore, Hepc, IL-6, could represent the indices of activity and progression of NAFLS in model rat.