Ying Liu, Mingming Zhai
Purpose Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), affected more than 70 % of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), has become a common metabolic liver disease worldwide. However, the specifically treatments targeting NAFLD have not been found until now. Pulsed electromagnetic fields have positive effects on multiple diseases. However, the effects of PEMF on NAFLD in T2DM require further investigation. The present study assessed the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on the liver oxidative stress and lipid accumulation of db/db mice. Patients and methods Animals were exposed to 2 h of pulsed electromagnetic fields (15.38 Hz, 2 mT) or sham stimulated, and thereafter sacrificed at 8 weeks later. The biomarkers of oxidative stress, such as MDA, GSSG and GSH levels, were analysed with commercial kits. The activity of liver antioxidant enzymes as CAT, SOD and GSH-Px was detected. Hepatic expressions of CAT, GR, GSH-Px, SOD1, SOD2 and SREBP-1c at protein levels were determined with Western blotting. Hepatic weight was measured and triglyceride accumulation were visualized by Oil Red O staining. Results PEMF exposure could protect the liver from oxidative stress injury by decreasing MDA and GSSG level, promoting reduced GSH level, and increasing GSH-Px activity and expression in comparison with sham group. But CAT and SOD activity have no statistic difference as same as CAT, GR, SOD1 and SOD2 expression. Furthermore, PEMF exposure reduced liver weight and triglyceride content. Meanwhile, PEMF exposure ameliorated hepatic steatosis through reducing the expression of SREBP-1c to regulate the lipid synthesis. Conclusion The present study provides evidence that PEMF could increase antioxidant enzymes activity and alleviate lipid accumulation in fatty liver. This implies that PEMF exposure has beneficial effects for the treatment of NAFLD in accompany with T2DM.