Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate blocks fructose-induced hepatic NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation and lipid metabolism disorder.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate as a hepatoprotective agent possesses immune modulation and anti-inflammation, and treats liver diseases. But its effects on immunological-inflammatory and metabolic profiles for metabolic syndrome with liver injury and underlying potential mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate alleviated liver inflammation and lipid accumulation in fructose-fed rats with metabolic syndrome. It also suppressed hepatic inflammatory signaling activation by reducing protein levels of phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (p-NF-κB p65), inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase α/β (p-IKKα/β) and inhibitor of NF-κB α (p-IκBα) as well as nucleotide-binding domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) and Caspase-1 in rats, being consistent with its reduction of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-6 levels. Furthermore, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate modulated lipid metabolism-related genes characterized by up-regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1), and down-regulating sensor for fatty acids to control-1 (SREBP-1) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1) in the liver of fructose-fed rats, resulting in the reduction of triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. These effective actions were further confirmed in fructose-exposed BRL-3A and HepG2 cells. The molecular mechanisms underpinning these observations suggest that magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate may inhibit NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation to reduce immunological-inflammatory response, which in turn may prevent liver lipid metabolic disorder and accumulation under high fructose condition. Thus, blockade of NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation and lipid metabolism disorder by magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate may be the potential therapeutic approach for improving fructose-induced liver injury with metabolic syndrome in clinic.