# Flaxseed oil and probiotics protect against induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in male rats

**Authors:** Haddad A. El Rabey, Maha J. Balgoon, Mohammed A. Alsieni, Adel I. Alalawy, Moataz Y. Soliman, Mohamed M. El Hoseeny, Samar M. Rezk, Nadia Bakry

PMC · DOI: 10.1515/biol-2025-1255 · Open Life Sciences · 2026-02-18

## TL;DR

Flaxseed oil and probiotics help protect against fatty liver disease in rats by improving liver health and reducing inflammation.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates the hepatoprotective effects of flaxseed oil and probiotics, alone or combined, in a rat model of NAFLD.

## Key findings

- Flaxseed oil and probiotics significantly improved lipid profiles and liver enzymes in NAFLD rats.
- The combination of flaxseed oil and probiotics reduced inflammatory markers and oxidative stress more effectively than individual treatments.
- Histological analysis confirmed liver tissue improvement in treated groups compared to the control.

## Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotics and flaxseed oil on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 50 male albino rats were divided into five groups (10/each), the 1st negative control group fed on the basal diet (G1) and four other groups subjected to induced NAFLD and then classified into four groups; the 2nd positive control group induced-Non Alcoholic fatty liver disease (G2), the 3rd group was treated with flaxseed oil (G3), the 4th group was treated with live probiotics (G4) and the 5th group was treated with mixed of flaxseed oil and live probiotics (G5). The study was conducted for 8 weeks. GC analysis indicated that the main constituent of flaxseed oil is the omega-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid methyl ester (44.89 %). The positive control group showed severely altered lipid profile, liver enzymes, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and liver histology, whereas treating the NAFLD with flaxseed oil or probiotic strains or their mix significantly improved lipid profile, liver enzyme, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 “IL-6”), and significantly decreased oxidative stress levels than the positive control group. Flaxseed oil and probiotics, separately and in combination, confer hepatoprotective effects against induced NAFLD in rats.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1), IL6 (interleukin 6), TNF (tumor necrosis factor)
- **Diseases:** nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (MONDO:0013209), NAFLD (MONDO:0013209)
- **Species:** Rattus norvegicus (taxon 10116)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** INS (insulin) [NCBI Gene 3630] {aka IDDM, IDDM1, IDDM2, ILPR, IRDN, MODY10}, Pdlim3 (PDZ and LIM domain 3) [NCBI Gene 114108] {aka Actn2lp, Alp}, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 7124] {aka DIF, IMD127, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, TNLG1F}, Tnf (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 24835] {aka RATTNF, TNF-alpha, Tnfa}, ATHS (atherosclerosis susceptibility (lipoprotein associated)) [NCBI Gene 470] {aka ALP}, Il1b (interleukin 1 beta) [NCBI Gene 24494] {aka IL-1F2}, Il6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 24498] {aka ILg6, Ifnb2}, Tgfb1 (transforming growth factor, beta 1) [NCBI Gene 59086] {aka Tgfb}, GPT (glutamic--pyruvic transaminase) [NCBI Gene 2875] {aka AAT1, ALT, ALT1, GPT1, SGPT}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, CAT (catalase) [NCBI Gene 847], ALB (albumin) [NCBI Gene 213] {aka FDAHT, HSA, PRO0883, PRO0903, PRO1341}, Alb (albumin) [NCBI Gene 24186] {aka Alb1, Albza}, SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) [NCBI Gene 6647] {aka ALS, ALS1, HEL-S-44, IPOA, SOD, STAHP}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, SLC17A5 (solute carrier family 17 member 5) [NCBI Gene 26503] {aka AST, ISSD, NSD, SD, SIALIN, SIASD}
- **Diseases:** DM (MESH:D003920), cancer (MESH:D009369), NASH (MESH:D065626), edema (MESH:D004487), cirrhosis of the liver (MESH:D008103), cirrhosis (MESH:D005355), metabolic syndrome (MESH:D024821), hepatic inflammation (MESH:D007249), fatty (MESH:D008067), liver disease (MESH:D008107), chronic hepatic diseases (MESH:D006521), CHD (MESH:D003327), bone fractures (MESH:D050723), dyslipidemia (MESH:D050171), metabolic disease (MESH:D008659), narcosis (MESH:D053608), cervical (MESH:D002575), hepatocyte damage (MESH:D020263), sinusoidal (MESH:D006504), organ injuries (MESH:D009102), obese (MESH:D009765), MAFLD (MESH:D005234), overweight (MESH:D050177), ischemic heart disease (MESH:D017202), osteoporosis (MESH:D010024), Insulin resistance (MESH:D007333), viral hepatitis (MESH:D014777), necrosis (MESH:D009336), hepatic lipid (MESH:D011017), dislocation (MESH:D004204), NALD (MESH:D052919), liver injury (MESH:D017093), liver damage (MESH:D056486)
- **Chemicals:** uric acid (MESH:D014527), N2 (MESH:D009584), xylene (MESH:D014992), Bilirubin (MESH:D001663), Omega-3 fatty acids (MESH:D015525), triglyceride (MESH:D014280), essential fatty acids (MESH:D005228), saline (MESH:D012965), metal (MESH:D008670), paraffin (MESH:D010232), TC (MESH:D013667), ascorbate (MESH:D001205), HCl (MESH:D006851), Oleic acid methyl ester (MESH:C005576), blood glucose (MESH:D001786), ethanol (MESH:D000431), cholesterol (MESH:D002784), free radicals (MESH:D005609), C18:3n3 (MESH:D017962), E (MESH:D004540), Flaxseed oil (MESH:D008043), water (MESH:D014867), free fatty acid (MESH:D005230), C18:0 (MESH:C031183), Linoleic acid methyl ester (MESH:C005575), Na2SO4 (MESH:C012036), oil (MESH:D009821), MDA (MESH:D008315), fatty acids (MESH:D005227), Linolenic acid methyl ester (MESH:C047376), high-fructose corn syrup (MESH:D066248), H &amp; E (MESH:D006371), bile acid (MESH:D001647), hydrogen peroxide (MESH:D006861), superoxide (MESH:D013481), C16:0 (-), hematoxylin (MESH:D006416), TG (MESH:D013866), coprostanol (MESH:D004083), hexane (MESH:D006586), GC (MESH:C057580), alcohol (MESH:D000438), eosin (MESH:D004801), oxide (MESH:D010087), ROS (MESH:D017382), formalin (MESH:D005557), Palmitic acid methyl ester (MESH:C019012), Glucose (MESH:D005947), carbon dioxide (MESH:D002245), fructose (MESH:D005632), Lipid (MESH:D008055)
- **Species:** Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (subspecies) [taxon 1585], Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (species) [taxon 47715], Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (species) [taxon 1597], Lactobacillus acidophilus (species) [taxon 1579], Ligilactobacillus salivarius (species) [taxon 1624], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Lactobacillus gasseri (species) [taxon 1596], Lacticaseibacillus casei (species) [taxon 1582], Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (species) [taxon 1590], Limosilactobacillus reuteri (species) [taxon 1598], Limosilactobacillus fermentum (species) [taxon 1613]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

68 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12917596/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12917596