Lessening hepatic injury in cholestatic liver by optimal dietary docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in rats

Background: Dietary adjuvant management for the cholestatic liver disease before/after surgery is an important clinical issue. This study investigated the possibility for the dietary supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to treat cholestasis liver through the bile duct ligation (BDL) rat model. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (N: no BDL; BL, 1P, 5P: received BDL) and consumed either a regular diet (N, BL) or of DHA-enriched diet (1P: at 1% and 5P: at 5% weight percentage) for 4 weeks. The liver fatty acids (FAs) profiles, serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon γ (INF-γ), and pathological examination with H and E, Masson, CD56 (natural killer cell), CD68 (macrophage) were examined. Results: The DHA dietary supplement increased liver DHA after BDL. Liver DHA N 8.09 ± 0.60% and BL 8.41 ± 0.55% were the lowest than the supplemented groups 1P 12.57 ± 1.16%, 5P 18.36 ± 2.00% (P = 0.000). However, liver arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) 1P 23.13 ± 2.19% was the highest than N 18.86 ± 4.31%, BL 17.13 ± 3.07%, 5P 18.78 ± 1.76% (P = 0.001). The serum AST (U/L) in N 147.4 ± 28.2 and 1P 155.9 ± 35.1 were lower than B 317.1 ± 195.8, 5P 326.9 ± 141. 8 (P = 0.006). The serum alkaline phosphatase (U/L) showed the same trend N 49.8 ± 5.4, 1P 67.6 ± 21.1 were lower than the BL 172.2 ± 108.1, 5P 171.1 ± 149.1 (P = 0.017). Pathological examination with H and E, Masson revealed the fibrosis was prominent in BL, 5P. However, there were no significant differences in serum ALT, total bilirubin, IL-2, INF-γ, and immunohistochemical stain for the CD56, CD68. Conclusions: The results suggested that optimal dietary supplementing of DHA (1P) had less destruction and liver enzymes released after the BDL. However, higher enriched DHA (5P) could not benefit from this dietary treatment. The body weight did not increase even with this enriched high FAs diet after BDL for 4 weeks