Amorphous selenium nanodots alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via activating VEGF receptor 1 to further inhibit phosphorylation of JNK/p38 MAPK pathways

Abstract

In clinic, there is still no unified standard for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and the development of effective novel drugs to alleviate NAFLD remains a challenge. This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of amorphous selenium nanodots (A SeNDs) in alleviating NAFLD. Model rats with NAFLD were induced by the high-fat diet (HFD). Histomorphology was used to observe liver tissue, automatic biochemical analyzer was used to analyze liver function indicators, and ELISA kit was used to detect the effect of A SeNDs on oxidative stress and inflammatory factors in NAFLD rats. The results exhibited that A SeNDs could reduce hepatocyte steatosis, liver index, blood lipid level, and transaminase level in NAFLD rats. Furthermore, A SeNDs could relieve the oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction and maintain liver tissue structure in NAFLD rats. Mechanistically, A SeNDs (0.3 mg/kg/day) inhibit the phosphorylation of JNK/p38 MAPK pathways after activating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) in the liver of rats with NAFLD to allay oxidative stress and inflammatory response and improves hepatic structure and liver function. Therefore, it should be an important method to mitigate NAFLD by supplementing A SeNDs to normalize hepatic structure and liver function.