Taurine and tea polyphenols combination ameliorate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in rats

Abstract

BackgroundNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is currently no safe and effective drug for therapy. In this study, we explored the effects of taurine, tea polyphenols (TPs), or a combination thereof, on NASH rats.MethodsRats were divided into a normal group, a high-fat diet induced model group and a treatment group (including taurine, TPs, or taurine + TPs treatment for 8 weeks). Twelve weeks later, all rats were sacrificed, and serum transaminase, lipid and lipopolysaccharide levels and hepatic oxidative stress levels were determined. Histological changes were evaluated.ResultsIn NASH rats, hepatocyte damage, lipid disturbance, oxidative stress and elevated lipopolysaccharide levels were confirmed. Taurine treatment alleviated hepatocyte damage and oxidative stress. TPs treatment improved lipid metabolism and increased hepatic antioxidant activity. The therapeutic effects of taurine + TPs treatment on hepatocyte damage, lipid disturbance, and oxidative stress were superior to those of taurine and TPs treatment, respectively. Taurine, TPs and their combination all decreased serum lipopolysaccharide levels in NASH rats, but the combination of the compounds caused these levels to decrease more significantly than taurine or TPs treatment alone.ConclusionTaurine combined with TPs treatment could relieve NASH by alleviating hepatocyte damage, decreasing oxidative stress and improving lipid metabolism and gut flora disturbance partly. Taurine and TPs combination may act as a new effective medicine for treating NASH patients.

Randomized Clinical Trial: Bergamot Citrus and Wild Cardoon Reduce Liver Steatosis and Body Weight in Non-diabetic Individuals Aged Over 50 Years

“…Furthermore, to date, we have no single ingredients working efficiently in NAFLD. Several studies performed in animal models of liver steatosis confirm our results (32,33). It has been demonstrated that a mixture of natural citrus polyphenols from Bergamot prevents pathogenic fat accumulation in the liver of rats (11,34).…”

Taurine is Involved in Energy Metabolism in Muscles, Adipose Tissue, and the Liver

“…Combination treatment with taurine and TPs alleviates serum biochemical parameters, such as alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase, improves histological examination in NASH, and has synergistic effects on lipid disturbance and oxidative stress. These effects were more pronounced than those of taurine or TPs alone . Curcumin, obtained from turmeric extract, was shown to have significant anticarcinogenic and antioxidative effects in experimental studies.…”

Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Herbs and Supplements in Patients with NAFLD

“…Green tea, made from the leaves of the Camillia sinensis plant, like coffee, is commonly consumed and has been well documented to have beneficial effects with NAFLD [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. The main therapeutic agent for NAFLD in green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) [ 54 , 55 ].…”

“…EGCG also regulates hepatic lipid homeostasis through modulation of mitochondrial complex chain proteins and the previously mentioned AMPK, IRS-1, SREBP, and PPARγ pathways [ 54 , 55 , 60 , 61 ]. Furthermore, the polyphenols and EGCG in green tea allow for an antioxidative effect through NADPH oxidase and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) [ 62 , 63 ]. In the clinical setting, many trials have seen improvements in NAFLD patients with green tea therapy [ 51 , 52 , 57 , 58 ].…”