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Spirulina ( Arthrospira platensis ) Improved Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Characteristics and Microbiota and Did Not Affect Organ Fibrosis Induced by a Fructose-Enriched Diet in Wistar Male Rats.

Nicole Fakhoury-SayeghAya HamdanSarah LebbosTarek ItaniViviane Trak-SmayraAline KhazzakaCarole Dagher-HamalianLea Nicole SayeghMay MallahOmar ObeidRaymond Sayegh
Published in: Nutrients (2024)
Spirulina ( Arthrospira platensis ) is reported to play a role in improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and intestinal microbiota (IM). To study spirulina's effects in the improvement of NAFLD characteristics, IM, and pancreatic-renal lesions induced by a fructose-enriched diet, 40 Wistar healthy male rats, weighing 200-250 g, were randomly divided into four groups of 10, and each rat per group was assigned a diet of equal quantities (20 g/day) for 18 weeks. The first control group (CT) was fed a standardized diet, the second group received a 40% fructose-enriched diet (HFr), and the third (HFr-S5) and fourth groups (HFr-S10) were assigned the same diet composition as the second group but enriched with 5% and 10% spirulina, respectively. At week 18, the HFr-S10 group maintained its level of serum triglycerides and had the lowest liver fat between the groups. At the phylae and family level, and for the same period, the HFr-S10 group had the lowest increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and the Ruminococcaceae and the highest fecal alpha diversity compared to all other groups ( p < 0.05). These findings suggest that at a 10% concentration, spirulina could be used in nutritional intervention to improve IM, fatty liver, metabolic, and inflammatory parameters associated with NAFLD.
Keyphrases
  • physical activity
  • weight loss
  • randomized controlled trial
  • oxidative stress
  • adipose tissue
  • magnetic resonance
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • fatty acid
  • liver fibrosis
  • image quality