The American lifestyle-induced obesity syndrome diet in male and female rodents recapitulates the clinical and transcriptomic features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

The pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma remain poorly understood. Additionally, there is increasing recognition of the extrahepatic manifestations associated with NAFLD and NASH. We demonstrate that intervention with the American lifestyle-induced obesity syndrome (ALIOS) diet in male and female mice recapitulates many of the clinical and transcriptomic features of human NAFLD and NASH. Male and female C57BL/6N mice were fed either normal chow (NC) or ALIOS from 11 to 52 wk and underwent comprehensive metabolic analysis throughout the duration of the study. From 26 wk, ALIOS-fed mice developed features of hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. ALIOS-fed mice also had an increased incidence of hepatic tumors at 52 wk compared with those fed NC. Hepatic transcriptomic analysis revealed alterations in multiple genes associated with inflammation and tissue repair in ALIOS-fed mice. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis confirmed dysregulation of metabolic pathways as well as those associated with liver disease and cancer. In parallel the development of a robust hepatic phenotype, ALIOS-fed mice displayed many of the extrahepatic manifestations of NAFLD, including hyperlipidemia, increased fat mass, sarcopenia, and insulin resistance. The ALIOS diet in mice recapitulates many of the clinical features of NAFLD and, therefore, represents a robust and reproducible model for investigating the pathogenesis of NAFLD and its progression.