Experimental study of Tangshen formulain improved lipid metabolism and phenotypic switch of macrophage in db/db mice

Abstract

Obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), have become major chronic diseases threatening public health. NAFLD is a chronic liver disorder that is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity. In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanism of Tangshen formula (TSF) on hepatic dyslipidemia and phenotypic switch of macrophage in db/db mice. Eight-week-old male C57BLKS/J db/m control and db/db mice were divided into 3 groups (namely db/m, db/db, db/db+TSF), and fed with TSF or distilled water for 12 weeks. It was found that after treatment with TSF, the triglycerides accumulation in db/db mice was decreased on the basis of oil red O staining with cryosections of liver tissues. And protein expressions of macrophage activation markers CD68 and F4/80 were decreased according to immunohistochemical analysis of hepatic sections. The mRNA level of TNF-α (M1 marker) was significantly decreased by TSF in db/db mice, but with no significant difference in Mrc1 and Arg1 (M2 marker). According to the results, TSF attenuated hepatic steatosis and relieved dyslipidemia, its mechanism may be correlated with the regulation of macrophage activation and phenotypic switch.