Research Article Details
Article ID: | A29876 |
PMID: | 33354276 |
Source: | Oxid Med Cell Longev |
Title: | Honokiol Alleviates Methionine-Choline Deficient Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Oxidative Stress in C57BL/6 Mice by Regulating CFLAR-JNK Pathway. |
Abstract: | Background: Honokiol (HNK) has been reported to possess various beneficial effects in the context of metabolic disorders, including fatty liver, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress which are closely related to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), however with no particular reference to CFLAR or JNK. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were fed methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet and administered simultaneously with HNK (10 and 20 mg/kg once a day, ig) for 6 weeks, and NCTC1469 cells were pretreated, respectively, by oleic acid (OA, 0.5 mmol/L) plus palmitic acid (PA, 0.25 mmol/L) for 24 h, and adenovirus-down Cflar for 24 h, then exposed to HNK (10 and 20 μmol/L) for 24 h. Commercial kits, H&E, MT, ORO staining, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting were used to detect the biomarkers, hepatic histological changes, and the expression of key genes involved in NASH. Results: The in vivo results showed that HNK suppressed the phosphorylation of JNK (pJNK) by activating CFLAR; enhanced the mRNA expression of lipid metabolism-related genes Acox, Cpt1α, Fabp5, Gpat, Mttp, Pparα, and Scd-1; and decreased the levels of hepatic TG, TC, and MDA, as well as the levels of serum ALT and AST. Additionally, HNK enhanced the protein expression of oxidative stress-related key regulatory gene NRF2 and the activities of antioxidases HO-1, CAT, and GSH-Px and decreased the protein levels of prooxidases CYP4A and CYP2E1. The in vivo effects of HNK on the expression of CLFAR, pJNK, and NRF2 were proved by the in vitro experiments. Moreover, HNK promoted the phosphorylation of IRS1 (pIRS1) in both tested cells and increased the uptake of fluorescent glucose 2-NBDG in OA- and PA-pretreated cells. Conclusions: HNK ameliorated NASH mainly by activating the CFLAR-JNK pathway, which not only alleviated fat deposition by promoting the efflux and β-oxidation of fatty acids in the liver but also attenuated hepatic oxidative damage and insulin resistance by upregulating the expression of NRF2 and pIRS1. |
DOI: | 10.1155/2020/2313641 |

Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S01 | Improve insulin resistance | insulin sensitizer; insulin resistance; glucose tolerance | Biguanide: increases 5-AMP activated protein kinase signaling; SGLT-2 inhibitor; Thiazalidinedione: selective PPAR-γ agonists; GLP-1 agonist | Metformin; Empagliflozin; Canagliflozin; Rosiglitazone; Pioglitazone; Liraglutide | Details |
S02 | Enhance lipid metabolism | triglyceride-lowering; lipid tolerance; lipid metabolism | 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) inhibitor; Decreases intestinal cholesterol absorption; FXR agonist; ACC inhibitor; FAS inhibitor; DGAT2 inhibitor; SCD-1 inhibitor | Atorvastatin; Ezetimibe; Obeticholic Acid; GS-9674; GS-0976; TVB-2640; IONIS-DGAT2rx; Aramchol; | Details |
S04 | Anti-oxidative stress | oxidative stress | α-tocopherol: antioxidant | Vitamin E | Details |
S13 | Anti-apoptosis | hepatocyte apoptosis; hepatic autophagy; apoptosis | Pan-caspase inhibitor | Emricasan | Details |
Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I05 | 9352 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus | A diabetes that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. A diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 | disease of metabolism/inherited metabolic disorder/ carbohydrate metabolic disorder/glucose metabolism disease/diabetes/ diabetes mellitus | Details |
Drug ID | Drug Name | Type | DrugBank ID | Targets | Category | Latest Progress | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D328 | Serine | Chemical drug | DB00133 | SRR | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |
D075 | Choline | Supplement | DB00122 | PLD2 product of; PLD1 product of | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D182 | Insulin | Biological drug | DB00030 | INSR agonist; CPE modulator&product of | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D158 | Glutathione | Chemical drug | DB00143 | MGST3; HPGDS; GSTM2; GSTM5; GPX7 cofactor; MGST2; GSS; GSTM1; GSTK1; GSTM3; GSTM4; GPX1 cofactor; GPX2 cofactor; GPX3 cofactor | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |