Astaxanthin and fatty liver disease in mice after ovary removal
What it found
In female mice whose ovaries were removed and fed a choline-deficient high-fat diet, astaxanthin reduced liver fat, inflammation and scarring.
Lab tests on human liver cells suggest it may work by lowering a protein called osteoprotegerin.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Less liver fat and scarring
In mice, astaxanthin lowered liver steatosis (fat buildup) and fibrosis (scarring) compared with the ovary-removed group. Liver collagen and hydroxyproline, a marker of scarring, were higher after ovary removal and fell with astaxanthin.
Less inflammation and injury
Ovary removal raised inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, and these rises were suppressed by astaxanthin. Fibrosis markers alpha-SMA and TGF-beta, and liver injury markers AST and ALT, followed the same pattern.
Lower osteoprotegerin in liver
In mice, astaxanthin significantly lowered the mRNA and protein levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) in liver tissue compared with the ovary-removed group. OPG was found mostly in the portal vein area where myofibroblast cells sit.
OPG in human liver cells
In lab tests on LX-2 human liver stellate cells, TGF-beta increased OPG expression, and astaxanthin suppressed that rise. Astaxanthin also lowered OPG expression without TGF-beta stimulation.
What the authors conclude
- They say astaxanthin may slow the progression of liver steatosis and fibrosis linked to the diet-induced NASH in the ovary-removed female mice.
- They attribute this preventive effect to the downregulation of OPG production by suppressed TGF-beta in hepatic stellate cells.
- They present the novel view that astaxanthin may be used for the treatment of postmenopausal women.
How it was done
Estrogen levels fall after menopause, which raises the risk of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and may speed up progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The authors wanted to look for a new treatment for postmenopausal women diagnosed with NASH.
Seven-week-old female mice were split into three groups: sham surgery, ovary removal, and ovary removal plus 0.02% astaxanthin. All were fed a choline-deficient high-fat diet for 8 weeks, then blood serum and liver tissue were collected to check liver injury, tissue changes and liver genes linked to NASH. They also ran lab tests on LX-2 human liver stellate cells.
What it can’t tell you
- These are animal and lab cell studies. They cannot show what happens in people.
- The mice had their ovaries removed and were fed a special diet, so the results may not match what happens in postmenopausal women eating normally.
- The study did not test astaxanthin in people, so its effects and safety in humans are not known from this work.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan; Nihon University School of Medicine, Japan; Jumonji University, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Astaxanthin Attenuates Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis with Downregulation of Osteoprotegerin in Ovariectomized Mice Fed Choline-Deficient High-Fat Diet
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zhao M, Ma L, Honda T, et al (2023). Astaxanthin Attenuates Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis with Downregulation of Osteoprotegerin in Ovariectomized Mice Fed Choline-Deficient High-Fat Diet. Digestive diseases and sciences. doi:10.1007/s10620-022-07489-6Free full textPubMed 35397697DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error