Gallic acid protects the liver against NAFLD induced by dust exposure and high-fat diet through inhibiting oxidative stress and repressing the inflammatory signaling pathways NF-kβ/TNF-α/IL-6 in Wistar rats

Abstract

Objective: The burden of diseases and death related to environmental pollution is becoming a major public health challenge. This study was designed to evaluate the deleterious effects of a combination of dust exposure and high-fat diet on liver function. Gallic acid as a potent antioxidant was used to prevent/alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats exposed to dust and HFD. Materials and Methods: 24 rats were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups: HFD+Clean air, HFD+N/S+Dust and HFD+gallic acid+Dust. Animals were exposed to CA/ dust for six weeks on alternate days. At the end of the experiments, rats were anesthetized and samples were taken to perform molecular, biomedical, and histopathological evaluations. Results: Dust exposure induced NAFLD features in rats under HFD. Dust exposure and HFD disrupted liver enzymes and lipid profile. Dust exposure and HFD increased liver MDA level, mRNA expression of NF-Kβ, TNF-α, IL-6, Nrf2, HO1 and miRs122, and 34a. Dust+HFD also decreased liver total antioxidant capacity level. Pretreatment with GA improved almost studied variables in the HFD+GA+Dust group. Conclusion: The present study showed that HFD given for 6 weeks and dust exposure induced NAFLD in Wistar rats through inducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress through activating the inflammatory pathways caused NAFLD features. GA pretreatment by inhibiting oxidative stress, effectively protected liver functions against HFD+Dust induced inflammation.