| Summary: | Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which are usually
associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, are considerable health and economic issues due to
the rapid increase of their prevalence in Western society. Histologically, the diseases are characterised
by steatosis, hepatic inflammation, and if further progressed, fibrosis. Dietary-induced mouse models are
widely used in investigations of the development and progression of NAFLD and NASH; these models
attempt to mimic the histological and metabolic features of the human diseases. However, the majority
of dietary mouse models fail to reflect the whole pathophysiological spectrum of NAFLD and NASH.
Some models exhibit histological features similar to those seen in humans while lacking the metabolic
context, while others resemble the metabolic conditions leading to NAFLD in humans but fail to mimic
the whole histological spectrum, including progression from steatosis to liver fibrosis, and thus fail to
mimic NASH. This review summarises the advantages and disadvantages of the different dietary-induced
mouse models of NAFLD and NASH, with a focus on the genetic background of several commonly used
wild-type mouse strains as well as gender and age, which influence the development and progression of
these liver diseases.
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