Abstract
Scoparone (SCO) has a wide range of pharmacological activities, especially antioxidant and lipid-lowering ones. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SCO on alleviating liver injury induced by alcohol and high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. The pathomorphology, biochemical indices, lipid accumulation, alcohol metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammatory response were examined. RNA sequencing analysis was performed on liver tissues to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and signaling pathways, thus elucidating the mechanism of SCO in protecting the liver. Finally, some of the DEGs were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. The results showed that SCO had significant hepatoprotective effects, which could inhibit lipid accumulation, improve alcohol metabolism, reduce oxidative stress and inhibit inflammatory response. RNA sequencing results showed that 1208 genes were differentially expressed in liver tissues of mice treated with alcohol and HFD, while 2143 genes were significantly changed after SCO intervention. These DEGs were mainly involved in metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, fatty acid (triglyceride) metabolism, and cholesterol synthesis pathways. In addition, the results of qRT-PCR and Western blot were consistent with the RNA sequencing. SCO can alleviate liver injury induced by alcohol and HFD in mice, and its mechanism may be related to regulating alcohol metabolism and lipid metabolism pathways.