The ratio of 12α to non-12-hydroxylated bile acids reflects hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation in high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6J mice

In our previous study, enterohepatic 12 alpha-hydroxylated (12 alpha) bile acid (BA) levels were found to be correlated with hepatic triacylglycerol concentration in rats fed high-fat (HF) diet. Since BA composition is diverse depending on animal species, we evaluated whether such a relationship is applicable in mice in response to an HF diet. C57BL/6JJmsSLC (B6) male mice were fed HF diet for 13 weeks and analyzed for triacylglycerol, cholesterol, oxysterols, and other metabolites in the liver. The BA composition was determined in the liver, small intestinal contents, portal plasma, aortic plasma, and feces. Neutral sterols were also measured in the feces. The ratio of 12 alpha BA/non-12 BA increased in the liver, portal plasma, small intestinal contents, and feces of HF-fed B6 mice. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between the ratio of fecal 12 alpha BAs/non-12 BAs and hepatic triacylglycerol concentration. The concentration of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol was increased in the liver of HF-fed B6 mice, whereas no increase was observed in the hepatic expression of cytochrome P450 family 7 subfamily A member 1. The present study showed that the ratio of 12 alpha BA/non-12 BA in feces is closely associated with hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation in B6 mice fed HF diet.

Automated summary

This study found that the ratio of 12 alpha bile acid (BA)/non-12 BA in feces is closely associated with hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation in mice fed a high-fat diet.