Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Dec 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialAICAR, an AMPK activator, has protective effects on alcohol-induced fatty liver in rats.
Previous work with metformin has shown that this antidiabetic agent improves nonalcoholic fatty liver in ob/ob mice. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is one of the major cellular regulators of lipid and glucose metabolism, and reportedly mediates the beneficial metabolic effects of metformin. In this study, we examined the effects of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), an AMPK activator, on an experimental model of ethanol-induced hepatic steatosis. ⋯ In this preclinical rat model, AICAR, an AMPK activator, appears to protect the liver from fatty changes associated with chronic alcohol use. As such, AICAR may have a role in the treatment and prevention of alcohol-induced fatty liver.