Evaluation of the effects of L-carnitine on medaka (Oryzias latipes) fatty liver

• Published in: Scientific reports 2017-06, Vol.7 (1), p.2749-10, Article 2749
• Main Authors: Fujisawa, Koichi, Takami, Taro, Matsuzaki, Aya, Matsumoto, Toshihiko, Yamamoto, Naoki, Terai, Shuji, Sakaida, Isao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 101/58; 631/443/319/2723; 631/443/319/320; 82/1; Alcohol use; Animals; Biomarkers; Body Weight; Carnitine; Carnitine - pharmacology; Diet, High-Fat; Disease Models, Animal; Eicosapentaenoic acid; Fatty acid composition; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Fatty liver; Fatty Liver - drug therapy; Fatty Liver - etiology; Fatty Liver - metabolism; Fatty Liver - pathology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Liver - pathology; Liver diseases; Liver Function Tests; Metabolites; Metabolome; Metabolomics - methods; Mitochondria; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - metabolism; multidisciplinary; Oryzias - metabolism; Oryzias latipes; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction - drug effects; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02924-5

Lifestyle-related diseases have become a major issue in recent years. The increasing incidence of fatty liver underlines the urgency with which the issues of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) need to be addressed. L-carnitine is a compound known to transport fatty acids into the mitochondria to enhance β-oxidation-mediated metabolism of fats. In this study, the effects of L-carnitine administration on fatty liver of medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) were analysed, to check for disease improvement and metabolic changes. Additionally, the effects of the concomitant administration of L-carnitine and eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) (EPA) were investigated. Findings indicated reduced lipid deposition, increase in metabolites associated with β-oxidation, and significant reduction in fatty acid levels in the liver, implying improvement in fatty liver condition. Concomitant administration of L-carnitine and EPA resulted in further benefits, via changes in fatty acid composition in the medaka fatty liver model.