Abstract
Objective: To establish overfed zebrafish model for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Methods: The wild-type zebrafish was fed 3 times a day with normal diet. Body length, weight, and triglyceride levels were measured after 20 days of feeding. The changes in expression of genes associated with cholesterol metabolism, lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and inflammation were detected by quantitative PCR. Liver tissue sections were stained with H&E. Statistical analyses between groups were compared using t-test. Results: The body length (0.71±0.014) cm and body weight (44.83±1.833) mg of model group were higher than that of control group (0.50±0.009) cm and body weight (19.33±2.753) mg (total (body length) = 12.36, total (body weight) = 7.71, P < 0.01). Triglyceride content in the model group was (59.15 ± 0.5612) μmol / L, higher than the control group (16.71 ± 0.3562) μmol / L (t = 63.84, P < 0.001). Quantitative PCR results showed that the expression of genes related to cholesterol synthesis in the model group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01). The expression levels of lipid production and lipid oxidation related factors in the model group were higher than the control group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The expression of inflammation-related factors in the model group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001), and the expression of genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress in the model group was higher than that to control group (P<0.001). Liver H&E staining showed that the model group had pathological changes such as large bulla and vesicles compared to the control group. Conclusion: A continuous 3 times 20 days of normal diet can simulate the disease characteristics of human non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in a zebrafish.