Multiple anti-non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) efficacies of isopropylidenyl anemosapogenin via farnesoid X receptor activation and TFEB-mediated autophagy.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can develop into cirrhosis, liver failure, or hepatocellular carcinoma without effective treatment. However, there are currently no drugs for NASH treatment, and the development of new therapeutics has remained a major challenge in NASH research. Advances in traditional Chinese medicine to treat liver disease inspired us to search for new NASH candidates from Chi-Shao, a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. PURPOSE: In this research, we aimed to clarify the anti-NASH effect and the underlying mechanism of isopropylidenyl anemosapogenin (IA, 1), which was a new lead compound isolated from Chi-Shao. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Isopropylidenyl anemosapogenin (IA, 1) was first discovered by collagen type I α 1 promoter luciferase bioassay-guided isolation and then characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and enriched by semi-synthesis. Using various molecular biology techniques, the multiple anti-NASH efficacies and mechanisms of IA were clarified based on in vitro LX-2 and Huh7 cell models, along with the in vivo choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD)-induced mouse model and bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced rat model. The UPLC-MS/MS method was used to assess the plasma concentration of IA. RESULTS: A new lead compound IA was isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Chi-Shao, which showed significant anti-liver fibrosis activity in TGF-ß1-treated LX-2 cells and anti-liver steatosis activity in oleic acid-treated Huh7 cells. Furthermore, IA could significantly ameliorate in vivo CDAHFD-induced liver injury by activating the farnesoid X receptor pathway, including its targets Nr0b2, Abcb11, and Slc10a2. Simultaneously, IA activated the autophagy pathway by activating the TFEB factor, thereby promoting lipid degradation. Its liver-protective and anti-fibrosis activities were verified by the BDL-induced rat model. Finally, with an oral administration of 100 mg/kg, IA achieved the maximum plasma concentration of 1.23 ± 0.18 µg/ml at 2.67 ± 0.58 h. CONCLUSION: IA, an unreported lupine-type triterpenoid isolated from Chi-shao, can significantly alleviate liver injury and fibrosis via farnesoid X receptor activation and TFEB-mediated autophagy, which indicates that IA could serve as a novel therapeutic candidate against NASH.