Apple
polyphenol extract (APE) has been reported to possess protective
effects against hepatic steatosis. To explore whether APE-induced
alleviation of hepatic steatosis is SIRT1-dependent, the present study
was carried out using wild-type and hepatic SIRT1 heterozygous mutant
(Sirt1+/–) C57BL/6 mice. On consideration of the
sex disparity related to hepatic steatosis morbidity, both male and
female mice were included in the study. Six to eight week old mice
were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and randomly assigned to one of the
following groups: (1) wild-type mice (wt+HFD), (2) Sirt1+/– mice (Sirt1+/–+HFD), and (3) Sirt1+/– mice with 500 mg/(kg·bw·d) APE intragastric administration
(Sirt1+/–+HAP). HFD-induced weight gain and triglyceride
accumulation was more prominent in Sirt1+/– mice
in comparison to wild-type mice. Following APE treatment, these effects
were significantly reduced along with the alleviation of hepatic steatosis
via upregulated expression of SIRT1 at the protein and mRNA levels
in both male and female mice. However, APE differentially regulated
the genes related to lipid metabolism (Lkb1, Ampk, Hsl, Srebp-1c, Abcg1, and Cd36) in a sex-specific manner.
Moreover, APE treatment altered gut microbiota composition, with an
increased relative abundance of Akkermansia and a decreased Firmicutes/Bacterodetes ratio. Thus, our study provided
new evidence supporting our hypothesis that APE-induced alleviation
of hepatic steatosis is SIRT1-dependent.