Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) causes liver degeneration and fibrosis, which can lead to cirrhosis and/or carcinoma. Matsumoto et al. show that medaka ricefish fed a high-fat diet exhibit physiological changes reminiscent of human patients. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish help to prevent the disease. The NASH-like symptoms in fish were ameliorated with EPA, a drug used to treat the human condition, supporting the relevance of this model for studying NASH.

Page 431

2010