Transcriptional profiling of liver obtained from a mouse model for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prevalent hepatic disorder worldwide and closely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The pathogenesis of MASLD is multifaceted and its treatment options are very limited. Consequently, it is urgent to identify novel therapeutic targets and develop effective treatment strategies. RNA sequencing analysis was performed to understand the transcriptomic changes in a mouse model of MASLD. Overall design: Male C57BL/6 weighing 16-18 g were fed a chow diet or high-fat diet (HFD, consists of 60% fat, 20% carbohydrate, and 20% protein) for 8 weeks. Food and drinking water were provided ad libitum. After that, the HFD-fed mice were subjected to an intraperitoneal injection with 60 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin for 3 consecutive days while the chow diet-fed mice were injected with equivalent volume of citrate buffer. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were measured one week post-STZ injection, and T2DM was assured when FBG levels were in the range of 15-25 mmol/L. Six weeks later, the control and model mice were sacrificed to isolate the liver tissues. Triplicate samples from livers of control and T2DM mice were harvested for RNA sequencing.