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Assessment of Fatty Liver in Models of Disease Programming

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Investigations of Early Nutrition Effects on Long-Term Health

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1735))

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and is present in a third of the general population and the majority of individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Importantly, NAFLD can progress to severe nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), associated with liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent research efforts have extensively focused on identifying factors contributing to the additional “hit” required to promote NALFD disease progression. The maternal diet, and in particular a high-fat diet (HFD), may be one such hit “priming” the development of severe fatty liver disease, a notion supported by the increasing incidence of NAFLD among children and adolescents in Westernized countries. In recent years, a plethora of key studies have used murine models of maternal obesity to identify fundamental mechanisms such as lipogenesis, mitochondrial function, inflammation, and fibrosis that may underlie the developmental priming of NAFLD. In this chapter, we will address key considerations for constructing experimental models and both conventional and advanced methods of quantifying NAFLD disease status.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the help of Dr. Evgenia Dobrinskikh with the preparation of the manuscript and acquisition of SHG data. K.R.J. is grateful for funding from the NIH K25DK098615. The Zeiss LSM780 was funded by the NIH 1S10OD016257, and the Advanced Light Microscopy Core Facility is supported in part by the NIH/NCATS Colorado CTSI Grant Number UL1 TR001082, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Kimberley D. Bruce

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Karen R. Jonscher

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  1. Kimberley D. Bruce
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  2. Karen R. Jonscher
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kimberley D. Bruce .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Debden, Essex, United Kingdom

    Paul C. Guest

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Bruce, K.D., Jonscher, K.R. (2018). Assessment of Fatty Liver in Models of Disease Programming. In: Guest, P. (eds) Investigations of Early Nutrition Effects on Long-Term Health. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1735. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7614-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7614-0_15

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

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