Fermented mulberry (Morus alba) leaves suppress high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis through amelioration of the inflammatory response and autophagy pathway
Abstract Background A novel extract of mulberry leaves fermented with Cordyceps militaris (EMfC) is reported to exert anti-obesity activity, although their molecular mechanism during hepatic steatosis has not verified. Methods To investigate the role of inflammation and autophagy during the anti-hep...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Book |
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BMC,
2020-09-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Online Access: | Connect to this object online. |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background A novel extract of mulberry leaves fermented with Cordyceps militaris (EMfC) is reported to exert anti-obesity activity, although their molecular mechanism during hepatic steatosis has not verified. Methods To investigate the role of inflammation and autophagy during the anti-hepatic steatosis effects of EMfC, we measured alterations in the key parameters for inflammatory response and autophagy pathway in liver tissues of the high fat diet (HFD) treated C57BL/6N mice after exposure to EMfC for 12 weeks. Results Significant anti-hepatic steatosis effects, including decreased number of lipid droplets and expression of Klf2 mRNA, were detected in the liver of the HFD + EMfC treated group. The levels of mast cell infiltration, expression of two inflammatory mediators (iNOS and COX-2), and the MAPK signaling pathway were remarkably decreased in the liver of HFD + EMfC treated group as compared to the HFD + Vehicle treated group. Furthermore, a similar inhibitory effect was measured for the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NF-κB. The expression level of members in the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway (a central regulator in autophagy) was recovered after treatment with EMfC, and autophagy-related proteins (Beclin and LC3-II) were remarkably decreased in the HFD + EMfC treated group compared to the HFD + Vehicle treated group. Moreover, the HFD + EMfC treated group showed decreased transcript levels of autophagy-regulated genes including Atg4b, Atg5, Atg7 and Atg12. Conclusions Taken together, findings of the present study provide novel evidences that the anti-hepatic steatosis of EMfC is tightly linked to the regulation of the inflammatory response and autophagy pathway in the liver tissue of HFD-induced obesity mice. |
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| Item Description: | 10.1186/s12906-020-03076-2 2662-7671 |