Rodent nutritional model of steatohepatitis: effects of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) and tumor necrosis factor alpha deficiency.

Background And Aims: Intestinal endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) is thought to contribute to liver injury in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is an important mediator of this process and is considered central to the inflammatory response in NASH. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lipopolysaccharide on liver injury in the methionine choline deficient (MCD) nutritional model of NASH, and to determine if TNFalpha is required for the development of steatohepatitis in this model.

Rodent nutritional model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: species, strain and sex difference studies.

Background And Aim: The methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diet leads to steatohepatitis in rodents. The aim of the present study was to investigate species, strain and sex differences in this nutritional model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: Male and female Wistar, Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley rats, and C57/BL6 mice (n = 6 per group) were fed a MCD diet for 4 weeks.