Shayda Alzayadi
Research Mentor: Muhammad Aslam
Mentor Department: Pathology, Medicine
Author(s): Shayda Alzayadi, Kathleen Espinoza, Muhammad Nadeem Aslam
Session: Session 3 (11:00 AM – 11:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 126
Abstract
Aslam et al. conducted an 18-month study in which mice were placed on high-fat and low-fat diets, with or without red algae-derived minerals (specifically Aquamin was used), to examine the effects on liver tumor development. The results showed that mice fed a high-fat diet developed liver tumors (the tumors were more common in males). In contrast, mice that received the red algae-derived mineral supplementation developed fewer liver tumors, although steatosis was still present; this suggests that the protective effects of Aquamin occur despite continued liver fat accumulation. Histological analysis showed the presence of both preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in affected mice. Based on these findings, a follow-up 16-week study was conducted to determine why Aquamin, the mineral supplementation used, reduced tumor formation in the long-term study. The results of the 16-week study showed that the mice had increased liver weight and liver enzymes, and that liver damage included steatosis, ballooning hepatocyte degeneration, inflammation, and fibrosis. These findings indicate early liver injury occurring before the development of tumors. Protein analysis in this study showed changes in pathways related to fat metabolism and oxidative stress. The current study builds on this work by comparing early protein changes in the liver to help explain how red algae-derived minerals reduce liver damage and prevent tumor development in the same mice on the high-fat diet.
