Abstract
Objective Sijunzi, Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong decoction were traditional Chinese classic formulations, which are widely used in clinical treatment, and the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of Sijunzi, Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods Male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet for four weeks to induce NAFLD and were thereafter administered Sijunzi (8 g/kg/d), Lizhong (10 g/kg/d), or Fuzilizhong (10 g/kg/d) by gavage for four weeks. Hepatic damage, lipid accumulation, inflammation, autophagy, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α signaling were evaluated. Results The high-fat diet-fed rats showed typical symptoms of NAFLD, including elevated levels of hepatic damage indicators, increased hepatic lipid deposition and fibrosis, severe liver inflammation, and prominent autophagy. Upon administration of Sijunzi, Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong, liver health was improved remarkably, along with ameliorated symptoms of NAFLD. In addition, NAFLD-suppressed peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α signaling was reactivated after treatment with the three types of decoctions. Conclusions The results collectively signify the effective therapeutic and protective functions of Sijunzi, Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong against NAFLD and demonstrate the potential of Chinese herbal medication in mitigating the symptoms of liver diseases. Novelty of the Work. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been used for centuries to treat various diseases, but the molecular mechanisms of individual ingredients have rarely been studied. The novelty of our work lies in elucidating the specific signaling pathways involved in the control of NAFLD using three common Chinese herbal decoctions. We suggest that natural herbal formulations can be effective therapeutic agents to combat against NAFLD.
Highlights
Jiayao Yang,1 Dongqing Tao,2 Wei Ma,3 Song Liu,1 Yan Liao,1 Lei Shu,1 Shu Zhang,1 Chenyu Li,4 Nianlong Du,1 and Zhaohong Shi1
We observed the general situation of the mice throughout the experiment, and all groups of mice did not restrict the supply of food and water. e results showed that compared with the control group, the weight of mice in the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) group increased significantly (P < 0.05), compared with the NAFLD group, the weight of mice in the Sijunzi decoction (SJZ), LZ, and FZLZ groups decreased, and the weight of mice decreased gradually with the extension of the intervention time (P < 0.05)
To study the effects of SJZ, LZ, and FZLZ on NAFLD, we performed LC-MS on SJZ, LZ, and FZLZ, respectively, and the results showed that there are 11 active substances in FZLZ (Ononin, Licoisoflavone A, Licoisoflavanone, Glyasperin C, Glabranin, Gancaonin B, Delcosine, Codonopsine, (S)-6-Gingerol, (S)-10-Gingerol, Liquiritigenin)
Summary
Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong decoction were traditional Chinese classic formulations, which are widely used in clinical treatment, and the underlying mechanism is unclear. We aim to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of Sijunzi, Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). E high-fat diet-fed rats showed typical symptoms of NAFLD, including elevated levels of hepatic damage indicators, increased hepatic lipid deposition and fibrosis, severe liver inflammation, and prominent autophagy. E results collectively signify the effective therapeutic and protective functions of Sijunzi, Lizhong, and Fuzilizhong against NAFLD and demonstrate the potential of Chinese herbal medication in mitigating the symptoms of liver diseases. E novelty of our work lies in elucidating the specific signaling pathways involved in the control of NAFLD using three common Chinese herbal decoctions. Is study investigates the therapeutic effects of the three abovementioned decoctions used in Chinese herbal medicine (SJZ, LZ, and FZLZ) in a rat model of NAFLD. Is study investigates the therapeutic effects of the three abovementioned decoctions used in Chinese herbal medicine (SJZ, LZ, and FZLZ) in a rat model of NAFLD. e extent of NAFLD and related indicators of disease progression were evaluated, and the possible involvement of the PPAR-α signaling pathway and SREBP-1c in the regulation of NAFLD progression was examined
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