BabaoDan attenuates high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via activation of AMPK signaling

Abstract

Background Babaodan (BBD), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to have protective effects during liver injury and ameliorate liver disease progression, but little is known about its effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BBD on obesity-induced NAFLD. Methods C57BL/6 J mice were fed with normal diet, high fat diet (HFD) or HFD + BBD for 8 weeks. Weights of all mice were recorded every 3 days. At the end of the experiments, the level of livers, kidneys and adipose tissues of each animal was weighed. Blood serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), glucose and leptin were detected with appropriate test kits. Haematoxylin–eosin (HE), Masson trichrome and Oil Red O staining of the liver were performed. We applied immunohistochemical analysis to investigate the expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and leptin in liver tissue. The expression of genes related lipid anabolism (SREBP1-c, ACC, SCD-1, LXRα and CD36) and ß-oxidation (CPT-1 and PPARα) in liver and adipose tissues was determined by RT-PCR. The expression of AMPK and p-AMPK was determined by western blot analysis. Results We found the weight of bodies and tissues (retroperitoneal fat pads, kidneys and livers) of mice fed with HFD + BBD were significantly lower than that of HFD-fed mice. And liver injury induced by HFD was relieved in mice treated with BBD, accompanied with significant reduction were observed in serum ALT/AST activities and alleviated pathological damage. The levels of glucose, TG, TC, HDL-C and LDL-C in the liver or serum were significantly decreased on HFD + BBD group compared with HFD group. Furthermore, BBD treatment reduced the level of TNF-α and IL-6 induced by HFD. The level of leptin in the liver and serum were reduced in mice fed with HFD + BBD than that of HFD-fed mice. Several lipid synthesis genes (SREBP1-c, ACC, SCD-1, LXRα and CD36) were down-regulated and that of ß-oxidation (CPT-1 and PPARα) up-regulated in HFD + BBD group compared with HFD group. In addition, BBD increased the expression of p-AMPK compared with untreated HFD group, which suggested BBD improved the activation of AMPK pathway. Conclusion In summary, our results indicate that BBD has potential applications in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD, which may be closely related to its effect on lipid metabolism via activation of AMPK signaling.

Naringin Attenuates High Fat Diet Induced Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Gut Bacterial Dysbiosis in Mice

“…Acc converts acetyl-CoA to malonyl CoA, which participates in the synthesis of fatty acids (Li et al, 2020). Scd1 contributes to fatty acid desaturation (Sheng et al, 2019). Srebp1 and its target genes including Fas, Acc, and Scd1 are upregulated in NAFLD, and inhibiting Srebp1 activity impairs the induction of lipogenic Srebp1 target genes and TG accumulation (Bitter et al, 2015a,b).…”

Gynura divaricata exerts hypoglycemic effects by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway

“…It often forms heterodimers with RXR and enters the nucleus to regulate transcription by binding with the target genes such as fatty acid oxidase gene and cholesterol metabolism gene, which contained CPT1, SREBP1c, LXRα, and so on 53 . It has been shown that the level of PPARα, which positively regulates CPT1 and LXRα expression, is reduced in diabetes 54 .…”

<p>The Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Treatment of Obesity</p>

“…19 Babaodan can downregulate the expression of lipid synthesis genes (SREBP-1c, ACC, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), liver X receptor alpha (LXRα), and FAT/CD36) by activating AMPK. 32 The Xiexin decoction can also upregulate AMPK, inhibit SREBPs, downregulate the expression of ACC and fatty acid synthase (FAS), and reduce fat production. 16 The white tiger plus ginseng decoction can induce the activation of AMPK, inhibit the expression of ACC, and reduce the synthesis and accumulation of lipids.…”