Figure 7. Pharmacological intervention via inhibition of IL-1 signaling ameliorates diet-induced steatosis in DIO mice.

Wild type mice were fed a HFD for 13 weeks. At 32 days prior to sacrifice, mice were started on daily injections of IL-1Ra (Anakinra; 32 mg/kg) or saline by i.p administration. Data are representative of 10 mice per group. A.) Livers were isolated, fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in paraffin, and stained with H&E or frozen in OCT and stained with Oil-Red-O to assess steatosis. B.) Livers were isolated, weighed and represented as a percentage of total animal body weight. C.) Total TGs were extracted and normalized to tissue weight. RNA was extracted and subjected to quantitative RT-PCR for expression of genes involved in D.) inflammation (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-6, Nlrp3), E.) lipogenesis (Fasn, Acc2, Dgat, Scd1, Elov6, PPARγ, Cidea) and G.) fatty acid oxidation (PPARα, Cpt1a). F.) EDTA plasma was drawn via the retro orbital sinus and serum was analyzed for IL-1Ra by ELISA. Values represent the mean ± SEM. An unpaired student’s t-test was used for comparisons between groups *P≤0.05, **P≤0.01.