ArticleFood science & nutrition2021
L-citrulline inhibits body weight gain and hepatic fat accumulation by improving lipid metabolism in a rat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model.
Article in Food science & nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Respiratory efficiency and thermoregulatory responses of L-citrulline-supplemented broiler chickens under acute and chronic stress conditions.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Integrated multi-omics reveals potential regulatory mechanisms of meat quality.Food chemistry. Molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Sex- and Dose-Dependent Effect of L-Citrulline on Body Weight and Food Intake in Obese Type 2 Diabetic Rats.International journal of endocrinology and metabolism · 2025Article
- Effects of blenderized watermelon consumption on satiety and postprandial glucose in overweight and obese adolescents.Metabolism open · 2025Article
- Adipocyte-derived exosomes from obstructive sleep apnoea rats aggravate MASLD by TCONS_00039830/miR-455-3p/Smad2 axis.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Article
- L-citrulline attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory lung injury in neonatal rats.Pediatric research · 2023Article
- Targeting protein modifications in metabolic diseases: molecular mechanisms and targeted therapies.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023Review
- Amycenone reduces excess body weight and attenuates hyperlipidaemia by inhibiting lipogenesis and promoting lipolysis and fatty acid β-oxidation in KK-Journal of nutritional science · 2022Article
- UPLC-MS/MS-Based Serum Metabolomics Signature as Biomarkers of Esophagogastric Variceal Bleeding in Patients With Cirrhosis.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Article
- L-citrulline inhibits body weight gain and hepatic fat accumulation by improving lipid metabolism in a rat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model.Food science & nutrition · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBody weight gain is a social issue all over the world. When body weight increased, hepatic fat accumulation also increased and it causes fatty liver disease. Therefore, developing a new treatment method and elucidating its mechanism is necessary. L-citrulline (L-Cit) is a free amino acid found mainly in watermelon. No reports regarding its effects on the improvement of hepatic steatosis and fibrogenesis are currently available. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect and the mechanism of L-Cit on inhibition of body weight gain and hepatic fat accumulation in high-fat and high-cholesterol fed SHRSP5/Dmcr rats.
methodsL-Cit or water (controls) was administered to six-week-old male SHRSP5/Dmcr rats by gavage for nine weeks. We recorded the level of body weight and food intake while performing the administration and sacrificed rats. After that, the blood and lipid metabolism-related organs and tissues were collected and analyzed.
resultsL-Cit treatment reduced body weight gain and hepatic TC and TG levels, and serum levels of AST and ALT. L-Cit enhanced AMPK, LKB1, PKA, and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) protein phosphorylation levels in the epididymal fat. L-Cit treatment improved steatosis as revealed by HE staining of liver tissues and enhanced AMPK and LKB1 phosphorylation levels. Moreover, activation of Sirt1 was higher, while the liver fatty acid synthase (FAS) level was lower. Azan staining of liver sections revealed a reduction in fibrogenesis following L-Cit treatment. Further, the liver levels of TGF-β, Smad2/3, and α-SMA, fibrogenesis-related proteins and genes, were lower in the L-Cit-treated group.
conclusionsFrom the results of analysis of the epididymal fat and the liver, L-Cit inhibits body weight gain and hepatic fat accumulation by activating lipid metabolism and promoting fatty acid β-oxidation in SHRSP5/Dmcr rats.
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