Yacon roots ameliorate non-alcoholic fatty liver

ALEMAN M.N.; SÁNCHEZ S.S.; GENTA S.B.; HONORE S.M.

Rosario, Santa Fe

Congreso; L Annual Meeting Argentine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; 2014

Argentine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinicopathological change character¬ized by the accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes and has frequently been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance. In the present study we determine the effects of yacon roots on hepatic steatosis induced by a high-fructose-diet (HF) in rats and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Yacon flour supplementation significantly lowered plasma triglycerides, free fatty acids and elevated adiponectin levels. Yacon also reduced hepatic weight, hepatic triglyceride content and ameliorated hepatocyte degeneration decreasing the inflammatory cell infiltration in HF-livers. Yacon significantly increased the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression and restored the HF-induced inhibition of the AMPK phosphorylation. Both processes are related to fatty acid β-oxidation, in the hepatic tissue. Dietary supplementation with yacon roots also up regulate the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and decreased the expression of the lipogenic genes fatty acid synthase (FAS), glycerol-phosphate acyltransferases (GPAT) and HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) in HF-livers. These results suggested that yacon roots improve liver fatty degeneration regulating lipid metabolism through an elevated AMPK protein expression and phosphorylation.