Conclusions
QHD could attenuate lipid accumulation by increasing JAK2/STAT3/CPT-1A-related FAO, which provides a scientific basis for the clinical application of QHD in treating NASH.
Methods
Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 8): normal diet and drinking water (CON), high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet (HFHC), QHD-L (2.875 g/kg), QHD-H (11.5 g/kg) and obeticholic acid (OCA) (10 mg/kg/day) groups. All mice freely consumed an appropriate diet for 18 weeks, and QHD was orally administered in the last 6 weeks. Measurements of general condition, hepatic histopathology, and JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway were taken.
Objective
To investigate the mechanism of QHD on FAO-related hepatic lipid accumulation. Materials and
Results
QHD significantly improved NASH in mice, as reflected by improving serum glucolipid metabolism, decreasing enzymes activities, reducing hepatic triglyceride (HFHC: 70.07 ± 2.81 mg/g; QHD-H: 34.06 ± 5.74 mg/g) and ameliorating hepatic steatosis, inflammation in pathology. Further, both the mRNA and protein level of hepatic CPT-1A (p < 0.05), a rate-limiting enzyme of FAO, increased drastically following QHD treatment. Meanwhile, the content of hepatic ATP (p < 0.05) increased significantly after treatment with QHD. Further mechanistic results revealed that both the total protein and nuclear p-STAT3 in the liver were significantly down-regulated after QHD treatment. The protein level of hepatic p-JAK2 was significantly inhibited by QHD (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Conclusions: QHD could attenuate lipid accumulation by increasing JAK2/STAT3/CPT-1A-related FAO, which provides a scientific basis for the clinical application of QHD in treating NASH.