Mulberry leaf (Morus alba L.) is used as a traditional medicine and potential health food to treat various metabolic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. However, we sought the mechanisms by which functional components of mulberry leaves mediate diabetic steatohepatitis. We applied an in vitro model of HepG2 cells induced by glucolipotoxicity and evaluated the effects of MLE and its major components nCGA, Crp, and CGA. The results showed that MLE and nCGA reduced liver fat accumulation by inhibiting SREBP-1/FASN, SREBP-2/HMG-CoAR, and activating PPARα/CPT-1. Additionally, MLE and nCGA decreased inflammatory responses associated with NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-6 to alleviate steatohepatitis. Furthermore, we showed that MLE and nCGA exerted anti-glucolipotoxicity effects by downregulating miR-34a, thus activating SIRT1/AMPK signaling, and subsequently suppressing hepatic lipid accumulation.
Keywords: hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation; miR-34a; mulberry leaf extract; neochlorogenic acid; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.