Ameliorative effects of pepsin-digested chicken liver hydrolysates on development of alcoholic fatty livers in mice

Abstract

With developments in economics and increasing work loads, alcohol abuse becomes more and more severe, leading to occurrences of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Pepsin-digested chicken liver hydrolysates (CLHs) contain high amounts of glutamic acid, leucine, lysine, and alanine while the contents of taurine, anserine, and carnosine are also elevated after pepsin hydrolyzation. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the protective effects of CLHs against chronic alcohol consumption. The results indicated that the enlarged (p < 0.05) sizes of liver and spleen, and serum AST, ALT, and ALKP levels of mice fed with an alcoholic diet were ameliorated by supplementing with CLHs. Moreover, increased hepatic immunocyte infiltration shown on the H&E staining and higher (p < 0.05) hepatic triglyceride contents, TBARS values, and proinflammatory cytokine levels in alcoholic diet fed mice were also reduced (p < 0.05) by supplementing with CLHs. Those benefits were attributed to up-regulated fatty acid β-oxidation and down-regulated fatty acid synthesis, as well as increased (p < 0.05) SOD, CAT, and GPx activities, TEAC levels, and elevated alcohol metabolic enzymatic activities (ALDH).