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Protective effect of boswellic acids versus pioglitazone in a rat model of diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: influence on insulin resistance and energy expenditure

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Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely linked to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and cytokine imbalance. Boswellic acids, a series of pentacyclic triterpene molecules that are produced by plants in the genus Boswellia, has been traditionally used for the treatment of a variety of diseases. This study aimed at evaluating the protective effect of boswellic acids in a model of diet-induced NAFLD in rats in comparison to the standard insulin sensitizer, pioglitazone. Rats were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks to induce NAFLD. Starting from week 5, rats received boswellic acids (125 or 250 mg/kg) or pioglitazone parallel to the HFD. Feeding with HFD induced hepatic steatosis and inflammation in rats. In addition, liver index, insulin resistance index, activities of liver enzymes, and serum lipids deviated from normal. Further, serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cyclooxygenase 2 were elevated; this was associated with an increase in hepatic expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and formation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE). Rats treated with boswellic acids (125 or 250 mg/kg) or pioglitazone showed improved insulin sensitivity and a reduction in liver index, activities of liver enzymes, serum TNF-α and IL-6 as well as hepatic iNOS expression and HNE formation compared to HFD group. Furthermore, at the cellular level, boswellic acids (250 mg/kg) ameliorated the expression of thermogenesis-related mitochondrial uncoupling protein-1 and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 in white adipose tissues. Data from this study indicated that boswellic acids might be a promising therapy in the clinical management of NAFLD if appropriate safety and efficacy data are available.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge Dr. Abeer Shaalan, Pathology department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University and Mister Mohamed Saad, Department of clinical pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University for their help in immunostaining. The authors also wish to thank Dr. Mohamed Kamal, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University for his help in photomicrography and histopathological examination. Finally, authors are grateful to Dr. Mohamed Mandour, Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University for technical support.

Conflicts of interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Sawsan A. Zaitone

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt

    Bassant M. Barakat

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Shymaa E. Bilasy

  4. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Manal S. Fawzy

  5. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Eman Z. Abdelaziz

  6. Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Noha E. Farag

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  1. Sawsan A. Zaitone
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Zaitone, S.A., Barakat, B.M., Bilasy, S.E. et al. Protective effect of boswellic acids versus pioglitazone in a rat model of diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: influence on insulin resistance and energy expenditure. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 388, 587–600 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-015-1102-9

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