Alleviation of Carbon-Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury and Fibrosis by Betaine Supplementation in Chickens.

ABSTRACT: Betaine is a food component with well-reported hepatoprotection effects. However, the effects and mechanisms of betaine on liver fibrosis development are still insufficient. Because metabolic functions of chicken and human liver is similar, we established a chicken model with carbon Tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced fibrosis for studying antifibrotic effect of betaine in vivo and in vitro. Two-week-old male chicks were supplemented with betaine (1%, w/v) in drinking water for 2 weeks prior to the initiation of CCl4 treatment (i.p.) until sacrifice. Primary chicken hepatocytes were treated with CCl4 and betaine to mimic the in vivo supplementation. The supplementation of betaine significantly alleviated liver fibrosis development along with the inhibition of lipid peroxidation, hepatic inflamm

SUBMITTER: Tsai MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4600548 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature