BACKGROUND

Due to the absence of disease-modifying treatments and mysterious molecular causes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) poses an urgent and unmet clinical need. The active ingredient in Fructus gardenia, geniposidic acid (GPA), has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepato-protective properties. However, its effects on MASLD are still unknown.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine how diet-induced hepatic steatosis in mice is affected by GPA.

METHODS

Dietary induction developed the mouse model of hepatic steatosis. The influence of GPA on hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis were examined using the mouse primary hepatocyte lipid overload model. The mechanism of GPA in preventing and treating MASLD was explored through RNA-seq, and the activation of the SIRT6 signal by GPA was verified by molecular docking, pull-down, etc. Hepatocyte-specific Sirt6-deletion mice were established, and cellular and animal studies were performed to assess SIRT6 functions in inhibiting and treating MASLD by GPA.

RESULTS

GPA therapy significantly enhanced hepatic fat accumulation, oxidative stress, inflammatory infiltration, and fibrosis in mice subjected to high fat diet (HFD) and methionine choline deficient (MCD) diets. In the meantime, GPA can reduce oxidative stress in hepatocyte metabolic stress and fat buildup brought on by oleic acid (OA) and palmitic acid (PA). RNA sequencing revealed that GPA exerts its protective effects against MASLD primarily by stimulating SIRT6 and triggering the downstream PPARα signaling cascade. Furthermore, GPA was found to interact directly with SIRT6 through specific binding sites. This interaction enables SIRT6 activation under both normal and disease conditions. However, without SIRT6, the liver-protective benefits of GPA under metabolic stress are lost.

CONCLUSION

It was found that GPA binds directly to SIRT6 and enhances its activity, thereby inhibiting the progression of diet-induced MASLD. The findings suggest the potential of GPA as a therapeutic target for treating MASLD.