BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic disease with an increasing incidence, which can further develop into liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma at the end stage. Alantolactone (Ala), a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Asteraceae, has shown anti-inflammatory effects in different models. However, the therapeutic effect of Ala on NAFLD is not clear.

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce NAFLD. After 16 weeks, Ala was administered by gavage to observe its effect on NAFLD. RNA sequencing of liver tissues was performed to investigate the mechanism. In vitro, mouse cell line AML-12 was pretreated with Ala to resist palmitic acid (PA)-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis.

RESULTS

Ala significantly inhibited inflammation, fibrosis and oxidative stress in HFD-induced mice, as well as PA-induced AML-12 cells. Mechanistic studies showed that the effect of Ala was related to the induction of Nrf2 and the inhibition of NF-κB. Taken together, these findings suggested that Ala exerted a liver protective effect on NAFLD by blocking inflammation and oxidative stress.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that Ala exerted a liver protective effect on NAFLD by blocking inflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting that Ala is an effective therapy for NAFLD.