Mastiha (Pistacia lentiscus) Improves Gut Microbiota Diversity, Hepatic Steatosis, and Disease Activity in a Biopsy-Confirmed Mouse Model of Advanced Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis.

Abstract

SCOPE:

As a result of the obesity epidemic, the prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasing. No drug is approved for the treatment of NASH. In this study, the effect of a nutritional supplement, Mastiha or Chios mastic gum, on metabolic and histological parameters and on the gut microbiome in mice with NASH and fibrosis was investigated.

METHODS AND RESULTS:

Advanced NASH was induced by feeding C57BL/6J mice a diet rich in fat, sucrose, and cholesterol for 41 weeks. After randomization, animals received the NASH-inducing diet with or without 0.2% (w/w) Mastiha for a further 8 weeks. Disease activity was assessed by liver histology and determination of plasma transaminase activities. Fecal microbiota DNA extraction and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were used to determine the composition of the gut microbiome. Mastiha supplementation led to a significant reduction in circulating alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, improvement in hepatic steatosis and collagen content, and a reduction in NAFLD activity score. Furthermore, it resulted in a partial but significant recovery of gut microbiota diversity and changes in identity and abundance of specific taxa.

CONCLUSION:

This is the first study demonstrating an improvement in disease activity in mice with advanced NASH with fibrosis by a diet containing Mastiha.

• Authors: Aimo Kannt, Efstathia Papada, Claire Kammermeier, Giuseppe D'Auria, Nuria Jiménez-Hernández, Martin Stephan, Uwe Schwahn, Andreas Nygaard Madsen, Mette Viberg Østergaard, George Dedoussis, M Pilar Francino, MAST4HEALTH consortium
• Journal: Molecular nutrition & food research (Mol Nutr Food Res) Vol. 63 Issue 24 Pg. e1900927 (12 2019) ISSN: 1613-4133 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 31599067 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2019 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Topics

• Animals
• Biopsy
• Body Composition
• Diet, High-Fat
• Disease Models, Animal
• Eating
• Feces (microbiology)
• Gastrointestinal Microbiome
• Gene Expression Regulation (drug effects)
• Liver Cirrhosis (diet therapy, pathology)
• Male
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (diet therapy, microbiology, pathology)
• Pistacia