Effects of Panax japonicus hypolipidemic compound on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice and its mechanism / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects of Panax japonicas hypolipidemic compound (ZDS) on the lipid metabolism and its possible mechanism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice induced by high sugar and fat diet.Methods The extracts of Panaax japonica rhizoma,Salviae Miltiorrhiz radix Et rhizoma and Crataegi Fructus were prepared,and ZDS compound was formulated according to their antioxidant activities.Forty SPF male Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups (10 each):normal control group,model group,high-dose ZDS-treated group,and low-dose ZDS-treated group.In addition to the mice in normal control group were given conventional diet,the mice in other three groups were fed high-sugar high-fat diet.High-dose and low-dose ZDS-treated group were given 90mg/kg or 30mg/kg ZDS.After the treatment of five weeks,the histomorphology and lipid deposition of the liver were observed to confirm the establishment of mouse NAFLD model and the improvement of ZDS compound on lipid deposition.The relative expression of miR-34a,SIRT1,and lipid metabolism related genes (FASN,ACC1) was detected by RT-qPCR and RT-PCR.SIRT1 protein expression was detected by Western blotting.Results Compared with the normal group,the morphological results showed hepatic lipid accumulation in the model group was more serious,the levels of triglyceride (TG) and miR-34a in the liver tissue increased significantly (P＜0.05),the expression levels of SIRT1 decreased,and the gene of lipid metabolism such as FASN,ACC1 significantly increased (P＜0.05).However,compared with the model group,ZDS compound improve hepatic lipid accumulation,liver TG content significantly decreased (P＜0.05),liver tissue miR-34a,FASN and ACC1 expressions decreased,while SIRT1 expression increased (P＜0.05).The protein expression of SIRT1 was consistent with its mRNA expression.Conclusion ZDS compound can effectively improve liver cell steatosis through the miR-34a/SIRT 1 pathway involved in lipid metabolism regulation,thus providing a new idea for early intervention of NAFLD through traditional Chinese compound medicine.