Comparative effects of diets and induction methods on lipid metabolism and liver histopathology in a mouse model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of different diets and induction methods on lipid metabolism and liver histopathology in C57BL/6J mice. Methodology: Twenty-four C57BL/6J mice (8-12 weeks old) were divided into four groups: normal diet (K), Western diet with CCl4 (0.2 µl/kg BW, IP, twice weekly) (P1), Western diet alone (P2), and CDAHFD (P3). The diets were administered for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, liver and blood samples were collected and analyzed using one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Walli’s test. Results: The WD + CCl4 group had the lowest lipid profile (total cholesterol: 49.80±10.52, HDL: 21.80±8.10, triglycerides: 87.00±47.13) but elevated ALT and AST levels, indicating severe liver inflammation. In contrast, the CDAHFD group had the highest lipid levels (cholesterol: 152.6±20.89, HDL: 96.80±11.56, triglycerides: 216.4±56.49) without signs of inflammation. More than 50% of the WD + CCl4 group tested positive for NASH and had the highest NAS scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: The WD + CCl4 combination effectively induces NASH, while CDAHFD was better suited for modeling Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.