Hepatic gene expression profiles of db/db mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disorder in obese people and is becoming the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, lncRNAs have been proven to play remarkable roles in numerous biological processes and human diseases, including NAFLD. However, the function of lncRNA in NAFLD pathogenesis remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the lncRNA expression profile in NAFLD mice and to identify novel lncRNAs involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. We performed microarray analysis to compare the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the liver of diabetic db/db mice with NAFLD and normal mice. Three female C57BLKS/J db/db mice and three female C57BLKS/J mice were used as the NAFLD and control groups, respectively. All the mice were fed with normal chow. At the age of 8 weeks, mice were sacrificed and liver was harvested for further studies.