Gastroenterologìa · Published 2025-01-01 · Journal article · DOI 10.22141/2308-2097.60.2.2026.721
Background. Metabolically associated steatotic liver diseases are considered a multisystem phenotype of cardiometabolic risk with potential neurobehavioral consequences. Increasing attention is being paid to pancreatic steatosis as a manifestation of ectopic fat accumulation associated with insulin resistance and possible impairment of endocrine and exocrine functions. Combined models of high-fat, high-carbohydrate loading and chronic stress enable the reproduction of complex metabolic dysregulation and the assessment of systemic effects and their partial reversibility. The purpose: to evaluate the effect of alimentary-stress-induced steatosis on the behavioral activity of rats and to determine the features of natural recovery after cessation of the pathogenic influence. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on sexually mature male white laboratory rats (n = 31). The animals were divided into three groups: a control group (n = 8), a group with 60-day alimentary-stress modeling (n = 16), and a self-rehabilitation group, in which after 60 days of modeling, there was a 30-day recovery period without treatment (n = 7). Steatosis was induced by a steatogenic diet with an increased content of saturated fats (30 % of the energy value of the diet), a 10% aqueous fructose solution as the sole source of drinking fluid, and exposure to chronic stress caused by restriction of living space. Behavioral reactions were assessed using the Open Field and Elevated Plus Maze tests. The formation of liver and pancreatic steatosis was confirmed histologically. Normality of distribution was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and Welch’s t-test or the Mann-Whitney test was applied; at p < 0.05, the data were considered statistically significant. Results. After 60 days of alimentary-stress modeling of steatosis, rats exhibited a marked suppression of locomotor and exploratory activity: crossings of outer squares decreased from 32.25 ± 3.13 to 5.00 (3.00–10.50), the number of rearings from 12.81 ± 1.46 to 2.00 (1.00–4.00), and hole exploration acts from 21.19 ± 1.96 to 4.94 ± 0.73 (all p < 0.001). After 30 days of self-rehabilitation, total and vertical activity approached control values ((24.71 ± 4.18) crossings of outer squares; (12.57 ± 2.57) rearings; p > 0.05); however, hole exploration behavior remained significantly lower — 13.43 ± 2.32 versus 21.19 ± 1.96 (p = 0.02). In the Elevated Plus Maze test, changes were selective and mainly concerned anxiety-related cautious behavior and vertical responses: the number of head dips decreased from 13.19 ± 1.36 to 6.56 ± 1.38 (p < 0.001), and rearings from 7.31 ± 1.03 to 2.00 (0.75–2.25) (p < 0.001). In contrast, the number of arm entries and center crossings did not differ statistically from control values (p > 0.05), which is consistent with the differing sensitivity of behavioral markers in this model. Conclusions. Alimentary-stress modeling induces morphologically confirmed steatotic changes in the liver and fatty infiltration of the pancreas and is accompanied by pronounced suppression of motor and exploratory activity with selective alterations in anxiety-related cautious behavior, while cessation of the steatogenic influence ensures partial recovery with persistence of certain exploratory impairments.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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