Li Zhongping, Xu Jiaoya, Zheng Peiyong, Xing Lianjun, Shen Hongyi, Yang Lili, Zhang Li, Ji Guang
Institute of Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine725 South Wanping Road, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Center for Health and Nutrition, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
Institute of Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 725 South Wanping Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
Int J Clin Exp Med. 2015 Oct 15;8(10):17295-307. eCollection 2015.
Hawthorn (Crataeguspinnatifida) belongs to the genus Rosaceae family of plants. The hawthorn leaf, Crataeguspinnatifida Bunge, is used for both condiment and medicinal purposes to prevent and treat metabolic dysfunctions, such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in traditional Chinese medicine. However, its effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain obscure. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of hawthorn leaf flavonoids (HLF), the dominant bioactive extracts of hawthorn leaves, on high fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms. HLF supplementation significantly lowered body weight, liver weight, liver/body weight ratio, improved serum parameters and liver dysfunction and markedly decreased hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD-fed rats. In addition, HLF intervention dramatically increased circulating adiponectin levels and up-regulated the expression of adiponectin receptors, particularly adiponectin receptor 2 (AdipoR2) in the liver. Moreover, adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was also activated, as well as AMPK-mediated alteration of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and their downstream targets. Taken together, our data suggest that HLF ameliorates hepatic steatosis by enhancing the adiponectin/AMPK pathway in the liver of HFD-induced NAFLD rats.
山楂（Crataegus pinnatifida）属于蔷薇科植物。山楂叶，即山里红（Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge），在传统中医中既用作调味品，也用于预防和治疗代谢功能障碍，如高脂血症、高血压和心血管疾病。然而，其对非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）的作用仍不清楚。本研究的目的是探讨山楂叶中主要生物活性提取物山楂叶黄酮（HLF）对高脂饮食（HFD）诱导的肝脂肪变性的保护作用，并阐明其潜在机制。补充HLF可显著降低HFD喂养大鼠的体重、肝脏重量、肝体比，改善血清参数和肝功能障碍，并显著减少肝脏脂质蓄积。此外，HLF干预显著提高循环脂联素水平，并上调脂联素受体的表达，特别是肝脏中的脂联素受体2（AdipoR2）。此外，腺苷单磷酸（AMP）激活的蛋白激酶（AMPK）也被激活，以及AMPK介导的固醇调节元件结合蛋白-1c（SREBP-1c）、过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体α（PPARα）及其下游靶点的改变。综上所述，我们的数据表明，HLF通过增强HFD诱导的NAFLD大鼠肝脏中的脂联素/AMPK途径来改善肝脂肪变性。
