Preventive effect of Silibinin in combination with Pu-erh tea extract on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in ob/ob mice

Abstract

There are presently no miracle drugs for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study investigates the synergistic effect of Silibinin combined with Pu-erh tea extract (PTE) against NAFLD and explores the suggested mechanism of action. Ob/ob mice were fed a high fat diet along with the oral administration of Silibinin (86 mg per kg per day), PTE (250 mg per kg per day) or their combination for 6 weeks. Their lean littermates who were fed with standard chow diet were used as the control group. The blood biochemical index and histopathological evaluation were analyzed. The expression of genes involved in the lipogenesis pathway and cholesterol metabolism were evaluated. When compared with that of the NAFLD group, the body weight and blood lipid of the mice from the PTE group or combination group were significantly reduced. To some degree, fat metabolism and the inflammatory response were ameliorated by Silibinin and PTE used alone or in combination. It was notable that the combination group had a stronger efficacy in adjusting fat metabolism and inhibiting oxidative stress than that of Silibinin or PTE used alone. Silibinin and PTE inhibited fat synthesis by regulating the mRNA expression of CRTC2, SREBP-1c, and SCD-1. Moreover, the cholesterol homeostasis was improved in the treatment groups via regulating the mRNA expression of ABCA1 and ApoB100. The improvement of the combination group was superior to each drug used alone. In conclusion, Silibinin in combination with PTE can prevent NAFLD with greater potential than Silibinin or PTE used alone and may be a new therapeutic strategy.

Plant‐Based Foods and Their Bioactive Compounds on Fatty Liver Disease: Effects, Mechanisms, and Clinical Application

“…Compounds. Tea polyphenol and its major component EGCG are commonly recognized as healthy and safe foods [193,194]. A double-blind randomized clinical trial on 45 NAFLD patients showed that daily received 550 mg of green tea tablets for 3 months significantly improved the body mass index, level of AST, and fasting blood sugar [195].…”

Health Functions and Related Molecular Mechanisms of Tea Components: An Update Review

“…(3) improving cholesterol homeostasis via regulating the mRNA expression of apolipoprotein B100 and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1; and (4) preventing gut dysbacteriosis [18,175,176].…”

The Anti-Obesity Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Lipid Metabolism

“…In addition, CE combines with ApoB to form lipoproteins, which are transported outside the cell by exocytosis. Curcuma longa L., resveratrol, and PTE could significantly decrease the level of ApoB (Ramirez-Bosca et al, 2000;Tome-Carneiro et al, 2012;Hu et al, 2017). Celastrol was able to effectively suppress weight and attenuate highfat-mediated oxidative injury by improving ABCA1 expression, reducing the levels of TC, TG, LDL-c, and ApoB in the plasma, and increasing antioxidant enzyme activities and inhibiting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity (Wang C. et al, 2014).…”

“…The expression of the reverse cholesterol transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 was highly expressed in the livers of mice on pu-erh tea intervention ( Huang et al, 2019 ). Furthermore, apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100) is a constitutive protein of LDL-c, and it was significantly downregulated by pu-erh tea extract (PTE) treatment ( Hu et al, 2017 ).…”