Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a liver disease characterized by fatty liver and cirrhosis that van lead to hepatocellular carcinoma. Although NASH prevalence is increasing worldwide, no cure has yet been established. Sake-lees, which are a by-product of sake refinement, have liver-protecting properties. Lactic acid fermented sake lees (FSL) is a food made by lactic acid fermentation of lees, which are then dealcoholized. Although FSL is regarded as a pro-health supplement, whether it has hepatoprotective effects remains unclear. To address this, we used a murine model of NASH to determine whether FSL could suppress progression of the disease. FSL supplementation significantly suppressed the increase in blood glucose impeded the progression of NASH. Protein analysis revealed that FSL also attenuated the increased expression of inflammatory markers. We infer that dietary FSL has anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic effects that contribute to the inhibition of NASH progression.
H. Suzuki: None. K. Watanabe: None. S. Arumugam: None. M. Afrin: None. Y. Matsubayashi: None. H. Sone: Research Support; Novo Nordisk, Astellas Pharma Inc., Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (22K17772)
