Buniam Jariya, Chansela Piyachat, Weerachayaphorn Jittima, Saengsirisuwan Vitoon
Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
Department of Anatomy, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
Biomedicines. 2023 Jul 23;11(7):2071. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11072071.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is defined as hepatic steatosis in combination with overweight, diabetes, or other metabolic risk factors. MAFLD affects a significant number of the global population and imposes substantial clinical and economic burdens. With no approved pharmacotherapy, current treatment options are limited to diet and exercise. Therefore, the development of medicines for MAFLD treatment or prevention is necessary. 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) is a natural steroid found in edible plants and has been shown to improve metabolism and dyslipidemia. Therefore, it may be useful for MAFLD treatment. Here, we aimed to determine how dietary supplementation with 20E affects fat accumulation and lipogenesis in the liver and adipose tissue of ovariectomized rats fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet (OHFFD). We found that 20E reduced hepatic triglyceride content and visceral fat deposition. 20E increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase and acetyl CoA carboxylase while reducing the expression of fatty acid synthase in the liver and adipose tissue. Additionally, 20E increased hepatic expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 and reduced adipose expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1. In conclusion, 20E demonstrated beneficial effects in rats with OHFFD-induced MAFLD. These findings suggest that 20E may represent a promising option for MAFLD prevention or treatment.
代谢功能障碍相关脂肪性肝病（MAFLD）被定义为肝脂肪变性合并超重、糖尿病或其他代谢危险因素。MAFLD影响着全球大量人口，并带来了巨大的临床和经济负担。由于尚无获批的药物治疗方法，目前的治疗选择仅限于饮食和运动。因此，开发用于治疗或预防MAFLD的药物是必要的。20-羟基蜕皮激素（20E）是一种存在于可食用植物中的天然类固醇，已被证明可改善新陈代谢和血脂异常。因此，它可能对MAFLD治疗有用。在此，我们旨在确定在喂食高脂高果糖饮食（OHFFD）的去卵巢大鼠的肝脏和脂肪组织中，饮食补充20E如何影响脂肪积累和脂肪生成。我们发现20E降低了肝脏甘油三酯含量和内脏脂肪沉积。20E增加了肝脏和脂肪组织中AMP激活的蛋白激酶和乙酰辅酶A羧化酶的磷酸化，同时降低了脂肪酸合酶的表达。此外，20E增加了肝脏中肉碱棕榈酰转移酶-1的表达，并降低了脂肪组织中固醇调节元件结合蛋白-1的表达。总之，20E在OHFFD诱导的MAFLD大鼠中显示出有益作用。这些发现表明，20E可能是预防或治疗MAFLD的一个有前景的选择。
