Development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in insulin-resistant liver-specific S503A carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 mutant mice.

Background & Aims: Liver-specific inactivation of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 causes hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, which result from impaired insulin clearance, in liver-specific S503A carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 mutant mice (L-SACC1). These mice also develop steatosis. Because hepatic fat accumulation precedes hepatitis, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), we investigated whether a high-fat diet, by causing inflammation, is sufficient to induce hepatitis and other features of NASH in L-SACC1 mice.

Methods: L-SACC1 and wild-type mice were placed on a high-fat diet for 3 months, then several biochemical and histologic analyses were performed to investigate the NASH phenotype.

Results: A high-fat diet caused hepatic macrosteatosis and hepatitis, characterized by increased hepatic tumor necrosis factor alpha levels and activation of the NF-kappaB pathway in L-SACC1 but not in wild-type mice. The high-fat diet also induced necrosis and apoptosis in the livers of the L-SACC1 mice. Insulin resistance in L-SACC1 fed a high-fat diet increased the hepatic procollagen protein level, suggesting a role in the development of fibrosis.

Conclusions: A high-fat diet induces key features of human NASH in insulin-resistant L-SACC1 mice, validating this model as a tool to study the molecular mechanisms of NASH.