Background and aim: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several studies have found that fat mass and the obesity-associated (FTO) gene is linked to obesity. The aim of this work is to investigate the expression and function of FTO in liver with lipid metabolism diseases.
Methods: We investigated the basal FTO expression in an NAFLD rat model and compared it with control subjects. The function of FTO in lipid metabolism was further studied in L02 cells through overexpression experiments.
Results: A significant increase in FTO mRNA and protein levels was found in the NAFLD group. In addition, the FTO levels were positively associated with malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase concentrations. FTO overexpression in L02 cells enhanced lipogenesis and oxidative stress.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that increased FTO levels in the liver are involved in oxidative stress and lipid deposition, which characterize NAFLD.