Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disorder worldwide, comprises conditions from steatosis to
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and
cirrhosis. NASH is associated with an increased risk of
hepatocellular carcinoma.
Sesame oil, a healthful food, increases resistance to oxidative stress,
inflammation and protects against multiple organ injury in various animal models. We investigated the protective effect of
sesame oil against nutritional
steatohepatitis in mice. C57BL/6 J mice were fed with
methionine-
choline deficient (MCD) diet for 28 days to induce NASH.
Sesame oil (1 and 2 ml/kg) was treated from 22nd to 28th day.
Body weight, steatosis,
triglycerides,
aspartate transaminase,
alanine transaminase,
nitric oxide,
malondialdehyde,
tumor necrosis factor-α, interlukin-6, interleukin-1β,
leptin, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were assessed after 28 days. All tested parameters were higher in MCD-fed mice than in normal control mice. Mice fed with MCD diet for 4 weeks showed severe liver injury with steatosis, oxidative stress, and necrotic
inflammation. In
sesame-oil-treated mice, all tested parameters were significantly attenuated compared with MCD-alone mice.
Sesame oil inhibited oxidative stress, inflammatory
cytokines,
leptin, and TGF-β1 in MCD-fed mice. In addition, histological analysis showed that
sesame oil provided significant protection against fibrotic
collagen. We conclude that
sesame oil protects against steatohepatitic
fibrosis by decreasing oxidative stress, inflammatory
cytokines,
leptin and TGF-β1.