Impact of a high-calorie diet on liver and kidneys in Wistar rats

Abstract

Obesity is a scourge of international public order and is accompanied by an impressive set of health issues, including pathologies related to the kidneys and liver. In our study, it was a question of setting up an experimental obesity model in order to evaluate the impact of the latter on the liver and kidneys of the Wistar rat. The rats were fed a high-calorie diet for 30 days. At the end of the trial, blood samples were taken for the determination of tissue lipids; the animals were then sacrificed, and their kidneys and livers were removed for histological examinations. The results revealed a significant increase in the biological markers of the liver (AST, ALT, PAL, and GGT) and those of the kidneys (uremia, uricemia, and creatinine) in the rats subjected to such a diet, thus highlighting the dysfunction of the liver and kidneys. Furthermore, histological examinations revealed no signs of damage to these organs. However, a significant increase in tissue lipids is noted. The high-calorie diet, therefore, caused an accumulation of fat in the liver and kidneys of the rats. This accumulation could reflect the onset of hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease) in rats.