Ethanol extract of seeds alleviates HGHFD/STZ-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in diabetic rats by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid accumulation.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the ameliorative effects of ethanol extract (EGK) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) combined with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to explore its underlying mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

, a T2DM rat model was established using HGHFD/STZ. , HepG2 cells were induced with FFA to create a model of lipid accumulation. Lipid accumulation (LA), oxidative stress (OS) levels, and inflammatory markers were measured using kit methods. Additionally, the expression of the SREBP-1c pathway was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot (WB) to further understand the potential mechanism of EGK's protective effect on diabetic liver injury.

RESULTS

, EGK significantly reduced blood glucose levels (<0.01), restored body weight (<0.01), and improved liver LA, OS, and inflammatory levels (<0.01) in diabetic rats. Histopathological results indicated that EGK effectively ameliorated diabetes-induced liver injury. Immunohistochemistry and WB results revealed that EGK significantly down-regulated the expression of the SREBP-1c pathway (<0.01). , EGK markedly improved lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation levels in HepG2 cells (<0.01). Immunofluorescence and WB results showed that EGK significantly reduced the expression of the SREBP-1c pathway (<0.01).

CONCLUSION

EGK alleviates T2DM combined with NAFLD by reducing lipid accumulation through the inhibition of oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and the SREBP-1c signaling pathway.