Hugan QingzhiExerts Anti-Inflammatory Effects in a Rat Model of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological Relevance. The Hugan Qingzhi tablet (HQT) is a traditional Chinese medicine used for treating NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease). The present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of HQT in rats with NAFLD. Materials and Methods. HQT was administered daily to the NAFLD experimental groups. Biochemical markers, histopathological data, and oxidative stress/antioxidant biomarkers were determined. Proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Expressions of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and acetylated-nuclear-factor kappaB-p65 (Ac-NF-κB-p65) were performed by western blotting. Results. At high and moderate doses, HQT was highly effective in decreasing serum alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.01), hepatic total cholesterol (P < 0.01), triglycerides (P < 0.01), and free fatty acid levels (P < 0.01). Moreover, high and moderate doses of HQT reduced hepatic levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α (P < 0.01), IL-1β (P < 0.01), and IL-6 (P < 0.01), enhanced SIRT1 expression, and depressed Ac-NF-κB-p65 expression at protein level. Conclusions. In our NAFLD rat model, HQT exerted substantial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, possibly involving the regulation of SIRT1 and Ac-NF-κB-p65 expression.

Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ)-Based Proteomic Analysis of Hugan Qingzhi and Its Protective Properties against Free Fatty Acid-Induced L02 Hepatocyte Injury

“…Hugan Qingzhi (HQT) is a traditional Chinese medicine used for treatment of NAFLD. Its therapeutic effects on NAFLD have been confirmed in previous studies ( Yin et al, 2014 ; Tang et al, 2015 ). It consists mainly of five plant materials: including Rhizoma Alismatis, Fructus Crataegi, Pollen Typhae, Folium Nelumbinis, and Radix Notoginseng ( Yin et al, 2014 ).…”

Modulation of the Gut Microbiota in Rats by Hugan Qingzhi Tablets during the Treatment of High‐Fat‐Diet‐Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…The Hugan Qingzhi tablet (HQT) has a long history of use in alleviating NAFLD in clinical practice. In our previous in vitro and in vivo studies, it was confirmed that the HQT exerted lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects on NAFLD [17, 18]. However, the relevant mechanism involved in its effect on ameliorating NAFLD requires further investigation.…”

Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases-Efficacy, Action Mechanism, and Clinical Application

“…It has been indicated that herbal medicine has exerted the protective effects against the progression from hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis and the underlying mechanism have been proved to be involved in inhibiting the inflammatory signaling pathway as shown in Figure 2, thereby regulating dyslipidemia and improving liver function in NAFLD. Many herbal medicine (including herbal formula, crude extract and pure bioactive compound form medicinal plants) possessed antiinflammatory properties for slowing down the NAFLD progression, such as Sinai san dection (Zhang et al, 2005), Hugan Qingzhi tablet (Tang et al, 2015), betulinic acid (Kim et al, 2019b), Alisma orientalis , gastrodin (Ahmad et al, 2019), the peel extract of Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) (Han et al, 2019) and swertiamarin (Yang Y. et al, FIGURE 1 | The lipid mechanistic insight into the anti-NAFLD effects of herbal medicine. NAFLD, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.…”