29 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups. The animals in control (n=9) and NASH group (n=10) were fed on standard rat diet and high fat diet respectively for 12 weeks, ten rats in LCD group were fed on high fat diet for 10 weeks and then
low calorie diet for 2 weeks. At the end of the experiment,
body weight, abdominal adipose content, liver function, and hepatopathological changes were examined to evaluate the effect of different feeding protocols on the experimental animals.
RESULTS: There was no death of animal in the experimental period. All rats in the NASH group developed
steatohepatitis according to liver histological findings. Compared with the control group,
body weight (423.5+/-65.2 vs 351.1+/-43.0 g, P<0.05), abdominal adipose content (14.25+/-1.86 vs 9.54+/-1.43, P<0.05), liver index (3.784+/-0.533 vs 2.957+/-0.301 %, P<0.01), total serum
cholesterol (1.60+/-0.41 vs 1.27+/-0.17 mmol/L,P<0.05) and
free fatty acids (728.2+/-178.5 vs 429.2+/-96.7 mmol/L, P<0.01), serum
alanine aminotransferase (1,257.51+/-671.34 vs 671.34+/-118.57 nkat/L, P<0.05) and aspartic
aminotransferase (2,760.51+/-998.66 vs 1,648.29+/-414.16 nkat/L, P<0.01) were significantly increased in the NASH group. Whereas, when rats were fed on LCD protocol, their
body weight (329.5+/-38.4 g, P<0.01), abdominal adipose content (310.21+/-1.52 g, P<0.05), liver index (3.199+/-0.552 %, P<0.05), and serum
alanine aminotransferase (683.03+/-245.49 nkat/L, P<0.05) were significantly decreased, and the degree of hepatic steatosis (P<0.05) was markedly improved compared with those in the NASH group. However, no significant difference was found in serum
lipid variables and hepatic inflammatory changes between the two groups.
CONCLUSION: LCD might play a role in the prevention and treatment of
obesity and hepatic steatosis in SD rats, but it exerts no significant effects on both serum
lipid disorders and hepatic inflammatory changes.