Daily Consumption of Angelica Keiskei Juice Attenuated Hyperlipidaemia and Hepatic Steatosis Caused by Western Diet in C57BL/6J Mice

Background/Objectives: Given that western diet (WD) intake has negative impact on development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD),
the protective effects of Angelica keiskei juice (AK) against hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis were investigated in WD-fed C57BL/6J mice.
Materials and Methods: Animals were assigned into four groups (n=8/group) to receive normal diet + vehicle, WD + vehicle, WD + low AK (2 g/kg body weight), and WD + high AK (4 g/kg body weight) for 18 weeks. Biochemical analysis was performed for lipid profile in plasma; histological
assessment for steatosis, inflammation, and tissue damage in the liver and intestine; and qPCR analysis for intestinal lipoprotein lipase and hepatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/oxidative stress markers.
Results: AK significantly attenuated WD-induced increases in plasma triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein (P=0.001 for both), and hepatic triglyceride (P<0.001). Particularly, high-dose AK was effective in maintaining intestinal barrier integrity and increasing mRNA expression
of hepatic nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (P=0.003). It also tended to modify mRNA expressions of intestinal lipoprotein lipase (P=0.004), and hepatic carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1α (P=0.038), endoplasmic reticulum nuclei-1 (P=0.014), and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1
(P=0.047). Conclusions: These findings suggest that daily consumption of AK juice may have potentials to prevent WD-induced NAFLD development through mitigating intestinal barrier damage, intestinal lipid absorption, and hepatic ER oxidative stress.