Prevention of Nonalcoholic Hepatic Steatosis by Shenling Baizhu Powder: Involvement of Adiponectin-Induced Inhibition of Hepatic SREBP-1c

Background. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease worldwide, and its incidence is increasing annually, but there is currently no specific drug for treating NAFLD. Shenling Baizhu powder (SL) is a safe herbal compound commonly used in clinical practice. Our previous research has shown that SL has the effect of preventing NAFLD, but its specific mechanism has not been determined. In this study, the potential mechanism of SL on NAFLD was explored by in vivo experiments. Methods. Wistar rats fed a choline-deficient amino acid-defined diet (CDAA) were treated with SL for 8 weeks. Then, serum samples were collected to obtain biochemical indicators; adipose tissue and liver samples were collected for pathological detection; a moorFLPI-2 blood flow imager was used to measure liver microcirculation blood flow, and a rat cytokine array was used to screen potential target proteins. The expression of liver adiponectin/SREBP-1c pathway-related proteins was determined by Western blotting. Results. SL effectively reduced the liver wet weight, as well as the levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in the liver, and ameliorated liver injury in CDAA-fed rats. Pathological examinations showed that SL markedly reduced liver lipid droplets and improved liver lipid accumulation. In addition, the detection of liver blood flow showed that SL increased liver microcirculation in CDAA-fed rats. Through the cytokine array, a differentially expressed cytokine, namely, adiponectin, was screened in the liver. Western blotting assays showed that SL increased the expression of adiponectin and phosphoacetyl-CoA Carboxylase (p-ACC) in the liver and decreased the expression of steroid regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). Conclusion. These results suggest that SL can increase the levels of adiponectin in the liver and serum and can inhibit the expression of SREBP-1c, thereby regulating systemic lipid metabolism and reducing liver lipid accumulation.

Effect of autologous mesenchymal pluripotent stem cells transplantation on liver microcirculation in rats with experimental liver cirrhosis

Aim. To study the effect of autologous bone marrow pluripotent stem cells transplantation on liver microcirculation in experimental model of liver cirrhosis.Methods. 43 white Wistar male rats with body weight of 150-180 g aged at least 3 months were used, in which autologous pluripotent mesenchymal stromal cells transplantation was performed. Considering the animals mortality at the cirrhosis modeling stage, which was 9.3% (4 out of 43 rats), the first group included 19 rats in which stromal cells were transplanted into the portal vein; in the second group (20 rats) the cells were injected into the common hepatic artery. Liver microcirculation was studied using laser Doppler flowmetry and wavelet analysis. Examinations were performed during the operation prior to autologous pluripotent mesenchymal stromal cells transplantation in rats with experimental liver cirrhosis, as well as on the 8th week of treatment.Results.In modeled liver cirrhosis, the microcirculation index was decreased by 24.5% (pConclusion. The repeated studies of microcirculation based on laser Doppler during the treatment of animals with experimental liver cirrhosis indicates the advantages of intra-arterial autologous multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells transplantation.