Lycium ruthenicum extract alleviates high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via enhancing the AMPK signaling pathway

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease that currently has no standard treatment. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of Lycium ruthenicum extract (LRE) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD, and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. To determine the hepatoprotective effect of LRE, C57BL/6 mice were fed a normal control diet, high-fat diet (HFD), HFD supplemented with 2 g/kg LRE, or HFD supplemented with 5 g/kg LRE. Treatment with LRE markedly decreased the levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in the serum of mice fed a HFD, and improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in NAFLD mice. In addition, treatment with LRE significantly decreased the expression levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c and fatty acid synthase, and markedly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α. Furthermore, LRE treatment significantly increased the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the liver. These results suggested that LRE is able to suppress lipid accumulation in HFD-fed C57BL/6 mice via enhancement of the AMPK pathway.