Journal of Advanced Biomedical Sciences

Background & Objective: Fatty liver disease as the most common type of liver disease, is usually accompanied with obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus Type 2. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of Hesperetin on high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis.
Material & Methods: Thirty two Wistar male rats were treated in 4 experimental groups including: control group, high fat diet group, high fat diet plus Clofibrate as positive control, and high fat diet plus Hesperetin powder (5 mg/kg), at a period of 6 weeks. At the end of experiment, the groups were compared considering serum lipid profile, serum biomarkers of liver tissue injury and antioxidant activity of liver, using ANOVA test. Histopathology of liver was carried out for confirming the biochemical findings.
Results: There were significant changes as shown by the results. In high fat diet group, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, significant increased activities of hepatocellular enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase) in plasma, significant decline in antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase), and elevated lipid peroxidation indices in liver were seen (p<0.01). Hesperetin treatment significantly reduced elevated markers of liver tissue injury and marker of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde), and returned the liver antioxidants and the increased serum lipids towards normal (p<0.05). Histopathological examination of liver tissue was consistent with biochemical changes.
Conclusion: The results showed that Hesperetin exerts protective effects against hepatic steatosis in rats fed with high fat diet through its antioxidant actions