Effect of pioglitazone, quercetin and hydroxy citric acid on inflammatory markers in experimentally induced non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Background: Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) spectrum comprises of diseases ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis. Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), an asymptomatic disease, characterized by the fatty infiltration with inflammation is a key component of NAFLD spectrum that may proceed to the liver cirrhosis, the end stage liver disease, if not diagnosed and treated properly. Inflammatory mediators have been investigated as potential diagnostic tools to understand the pathogenesis of NASH. In this study, the comparative effect of pioglitazone, quercetin and hydroxy citric acid on the levels of inflammatory markers in experimentally induced NASH has been studied. Methods: The experimental protocol consists of 48 Male Wister rats, which were divided into 8 groups. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were estimated in experimental NASH. Results: A significant increase in the levels of inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) was noticed in experimental NASH rats as compared to control group. On treatment with pioglitazone and quercetin, they showed significant decrease in the levels of TNF-α and MPO. Whereas, on treatment with hydroxy citric acid, no significant effect on the levels of inflammatory markers viz. TNF-α and MPO were observed. Conclusion: By virtue of our findings, it could be inferred that Quercetin and pioglitazone offers protection against NASH by ameliorating the inflammation (hepatitis), a principle and key feature of NASH, whereas hydroxy citric acid offers very little protection against NASH.