Histological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical study of experimentally induced fatty liver in adult male albino rat and the possible protective role of pomegranate

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a major health problem and is considered the most common worldwide liver disease. Pomegranate has many biological activities and could modify the risk of hypercholesterolemia. The objective of the current research was to study the histological changes of experimentally induced fatty liver and possible protection by pomegranate. For this purpose, 50 adult male albino rats were divided into four groups, control group, pomegranate treated group that were given pomegranate juice for six weeks, fatty liver induced group that were fed on high fat diet for six weeks and protective group that were fed on high fat diet and received pomegranate juice for six weeks. Histological changes were detected in the fatty liver induced group in the form of disturbed hepatic architecture, dilatation and congestion of central veins, blood sinusoids and portal veins. Most of hepatocytes showed variable degrees of cytoplasmic vacuolation, mitochondrial structural changes, dilatation of endoplasmic reticulum in addition to nuclear structural changes like condensed chromatin, irregular shrunken nuclei and vacuolated nuclei. All these changes were associated with inflammatory cellular infiltrations, deposition of collagen fibers around the central vein, blood sinusoids, portal areas and in between the hepatocytes in addition to significant increase in number of hepatic stellate cells that was proved by electron microscope and confirmed by immunohistochemical study. Moreover, these structural changes were much less pronounced in animals treated with pomegranate either with or before receiving high fat diet. These findings suggested that pomegranate has a protective effect against experimentally induced fatty liver.

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“…Dark pyknotic nuclei were observed in some hepatocytes, confirmed by condensation of chromatin which is due to the impaired antioxidant activity of the cells, making them more vulnerable to the effects of reactive oxygen species [28]. However, other cells displayed vacuolated nuclei (glycogenated nuclei) due to the accumulation of glycogen in the nuclei, this is a common finding in liver biopsies of patients with diabetes, Wilson disease, and NAFLD [26].…”

“…Meanwhile, microvesicular steatosis is associated with defective beta-oxidation of fatty acids [25]. Furthermore, cytoplasmic vacuolation was assigned to lipid peroxidation because of oxidative stress that damages the cell membrane and membranes of cell organelles leading to an increase in their permeability and subsequent disturbance of the ion's concentrations in the cytoplasm and cell organelles [26].…”