Effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation of lower limb muscles on experimental fatty liver

Background and aimsAlthough the beneficial effects of exercise on fatty liver have been described, a previous study conducted at our department showed that transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation (TEMS) of lower abdominal muscles aggravated fatty liver. The present study aims to evaluate the ability of TEMS of the lower limb muscles to improve fatty liver infiltration.Material and methodsThirty male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into three groups: control; fructose-fed (F), fed fructose-enriched diet for 6 weeks; and fructose-fed with transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation (F + TEMS), fed fructose-enriched diet for 6 weeks and lower limb muscles subjected to TEMS during the last 3 weeks of feeding, five sessions/week. Body weight, length, body mass index (BMI), and abdominal and lower limb circumferences were all recorded. Fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, serum albumin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) levels were measured. LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and the atherogenic index (AI) were calculated. Absolute and relative hepatic weights as well as histological examination of the liver were assessed.ResultsFinal body weight, abdominal and lower limb circumferences, absolute liver weight, homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score, and TG, LDL-C, AI, serum ALT, and AST levels were all significantly reduced in the (F + TEMS) group compared to the (F) group. There was a significant increase in GPx and HDL-C levels, HDL/LDL ratio, and total protein and serum albumin content in (F + TEMS) rats compared to (F) rats. Histologically, hepatic tissue from (F + TEMS) rats had minimal steatotic changes that were restricted to zone 1 and less marked inflammatory cell infiltration compared to (F) rats.ConclusionTEMS was able to reverse steatosis, hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and fatty liver caused by fructose feeding. The study confirmed that the variation in the anatomical site of skeletal muscle contraction affects fatty liver in different ways.