plus Synergistically Ameliorates Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in HepG2 Cells.

The combination of and radix is frequently prescribed for liver diseases in TKM. However, the synergic effects of the two herbs on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have not yet been studied. Therefore, we investigated the anti-NASH effects of the water extract of (AI), radix (CL), and combination of the two herbs (ACE). Hepatic steatosis and NASH were induced in HepG2 cells by treatment with palmitic acid (PA, for 6 h) with/without pretreatment of ACE (25 or 50 g/mL), AI (50 or 100 g/mL), CL (50 or 100 g/mL), curcumin (5 g/mL), or scopoletin (5 g/mL). The PA treatment (200 M) drastically altered intracellular triglyceride levels, total cholesterol, and expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism (CD36, SREBP1c, PPAR-, and PPAR-), whereas pretreatment with ACE significantly attenuated these alterations. ACE also protected HepG2 cells from PA- (300 M-) induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis and attenuated the related key molecules including GRP78, eIF2, and CHOP, respectively. In conclusion, we found synergic effects of and on NASH, supporting the clinical potential for fatty liver disorders. In addition, modulation of ER stress-relative molecules would be involved in its underlying mechanism.