Effect of Sanqi Lixuezhigan recipe on non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Sanqi Lixuezhigan recipe in the rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver(NAFL),as well as the underlying mechanism.Methods:Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group(C),model group(M) and Sanqi Lixuezhigan recipe group(Y).The rats of control group was fed with normal diet,M group and Y group with high-fat diet for 8 weeks,and from the fifth week rats of Y group were also administrated with Sanqi Lixuezhigan recipe once a day.Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),LDL-C,HDL-C,FFA and FBG were measured.Liver histopathology was observed through hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE stain) and oil red O staining.Liver TG and TC were also determined.In addition,the protein expression of liver CYP2E1 and UCP2 was detected by Western blot.Results:Serum ALT and LDL-C in the model rat increased obviously,while impaired again in the rat of Sanqi Lixuezhigan recipe treatment group.In the liver of M group,diffusing hepatic steatosis was observed in liver lobules,and the liver TG and TC level increased dramatically.Compared with model,less area and extent of steatosis were found in the rat liver of Y group.And serum FFA content also decreased in Y group.Western blot showed up-regulated expression of CYP2E1 and down-regulated expression of UCP2 in the liver of M group,while their expression tended to the normal levels in the liver tissue of treatment group.Conclusion:Sanqi Lixuezhigan recipe can effectively improve non-alcoholic fatty liver in the high fat diet induced rat model.The lipid-lowering and blood-regulating function for this complex recipe may enable it to ameliorate liver lipid accumulation and liver injury through inhibiting oxidative stress and improve lipid metabolism.