Houttuynia cordata alleviates high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver in experimental rats

Abstract

Context: Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae) is used traditionally in Asian countries to treat various disease symptoms.Objective: To study the effect of H. cordata ethyl acetate (HC-EA) extract on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis.Materials and methods: HFD fed rats were orally dosed with HC-EA (100, 200, or 300 mg/kg) once daily for 8 weeks and the lipid profiles and protein expressions in hepatocytes were evaluated.Results: HFD rats showed an increase (p < 0.05) in the plasma lipid levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), free fatty acids (FFAs), and reduced the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Treatment with HC-EA extract (300 mg/kg) restored the changes in plasma lipid levels of TC, TG, LDL, FFA, and HDL in HFD-fed rats by 34.8, 31.1, 51.4, 32.4, and 56.3%, respectively, compared with control rats (p < 0.01). HC-EA treatment also decreased the hepatic lipid accumulation (p < 0.001 at 300 mg/kg) and improved hepatic histological lesions. HC-EA extract enhanced AMPK phosphorylation and its primary downstream targeting enzyme, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), up-regulated the gene expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1), and down-regulated sterol regulatory element binding protein 1, fatty acid synthase, and glutamate pyruvate transaminase protein levels in the livers of HFD-fed rats. Further, the increased expression of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) composition such as CYP2E1 and CYP4A was also suppressed.Discussion and conclusion: Data suggest that HC-EA extract might act by regulating the AMPK-dependent pathway and related mediators and might be used in treating obesity-related liver diseases.