Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes Improves Metabolic Syndrome and Liver Injury in High-Fructose-Induced Mice

Abstract

Background: Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes, as a traditional medicinal and edible plant used in Tibet, China, is used to treat hypertension, hyperlipemia and liver diseases. This present study was designed to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of M. toringoides (EMT) on metabolic syndrome (MS) and liver injury in high-fructose-induced mice. Methods: The C57BL/6J male mice were divided into five groups (n=8). Con group was drunk with standard water, Fru group and the other three with 30% high-fructose water for 8 weeks. EMT (195 mg/kg, 390 mg/kg, 780 mg/kg) was administered to each of high fructose groups simultaneously. Glucose tolerance tests (GTT) were performed. Blood samples were collected from eyeball. The mice were euthanized. Liver and epididymal fat were weighed. The palmitic acid (PA)-induced HepG2 cells were used to evaluate the protective effect of EMT on liver lipid accumulation. Results: The administration of EMT is helpful to maintain near normal body weight, blood glucose, insulin, organ index, glucose tolerance, and serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, Apo-B, and Apo-A1 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). EMT treatment significantly improved liver injury by the down-regulation of liver lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in high-fructose-induced mice (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). In vitro, EMT (25 µg/mL-200 µg/mL) significantly decreased lipid droplet accumulation and TG content in PA-induced HepG2 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).Conclusion: EMT can obviously improve high fructose-induced MS in mice. In vitro, EMT can inhibit PA-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells.which may emphasizes the use of M. toringoides supplementation in everyday life of over-weighted persons and opens perspectives for clinical trials.