Evaluación del desempeño de tres puntajes no invasivos para el diagnóstico de fibrosis avanzada en una población con hígado graso no alcohólico / Evaluation of the performance of three non-invasive scores for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in a population with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Introducción. La enfermedad hepática grasa no alcohólica (EHGNA) es la hepatopatía crónica más común en el mundo, y en aproximadamente el 10 % de los casos progresará a cirrosis o a carcinoma hepatocelular. La presencia de fibrosis hepática es el mejor predictor de esta progresión, pero su diagnóstico mediante biopsia hepática es invasivo y con riesgo de complicaciones (alrededor del 2,5 %). Existen puntajes no invasivos que se han desarrollado y validado para estadificar la fibrosis, pero no conocemos su rendimiento en la población colombiana. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el desempeño de los puntajes fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), la relación AST/ALT y el índice AST/plaquetas (APRI) para la detección de fibrosis avanzada en pacientes colombianos con EHGNA. Metodología. Estudio observacional tipo transversal de pacientes con EHGNA, que entre 2008 y 2022 tuvieran disponible el resultado de una biopsia hepática. Se hizo una descripción demográfica básica y se calculó el FIB-4, la relación AST/ALT y el APRI con los laboratorios más recientes previos al procedimiento. Posteriormente se calcularon valores de sensibilidad, especificidad, valores predictivos, razones de verosimilitud y área bajo la curva-característica operativa del receptor (AUC-ROC) para los puntos de corte evaluados previamente en la literatura. Resultados. Se incluyeron 176 pacientes, de los cuales el 14,3 % tenían fibrosis avanzada. El FIB-4 presentó el mejor rendimiento con un valor AUC-ROC de 0,74 para el punto de corte de 1,30 y 2,67. En segundo lugar, estuvo la relación AST/ALT con un valor AUC-ROC de 0,68 con el punto de corte de 0,8, y finalmente el APRI con valor AUC-ROC 0,62 con el punto de corte de 1. Conclusión. En la población analizada los tres puntajes tienen menor rendimiento diagnóstico comparado a los resultados reportados en Europa y Japón. El FIB-4 es el único que alcanza una AUC-ROC con rendimiento razonable, con la limitación que 27,4 % obtuvieron un resultado indeterminado.

Introduction. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide, with approximately 10% of cases progressing to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver fibrosis presence is the best predictor of this progression, yet its diagnosis through liver biopsy is invasive and poses risk of complications. Although non-invasive scoring systems have been developed and validated for fibrosis staging, their performance remains unexplored in the Colombian population. This study aims to assess the efficacy of the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score, AST/ALT ratio, and AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) in detecting advanced fibrosis among Colombian NAFLD patients. Methods. This cross-sectional observational study included NAFLD patients with available liver biopsy results from 2008 to 2022. Basic demographic characteristics were described, and FIB-4, APRI, and AST/ALT ratio were calculated using the latest laboratory data before the procedure. Subsequently, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) were computed for previously assessed cutoff points. Results. A total of 176 patients were included, among whom 14.3% had advanced fibrosis. FIB-4 demonstrated superior performance with an AUC-ROC value of 0.74 for cutoff points of 1.30 and 2.67. Following was the AST/ALT ratio with an AUC-ROC value of 0.68 for cutoff point of 0.8, and finally, APRI with an AUC-ROC of 0.62 for the cutoff point of 1. Conclusion. All three scores have lower diagnostic efficacy compared to results reported in Europe and Japan. FIB-4 is the only one that achieves an acceptable AUC-ROC performance with the limitation that an indeterminate result was obtained in 27,4% of the sample.

Puerarin protects the fatty liver from ischemia-reperfusion injury by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Abstract The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) remains high, and many NAFLD patients suffer from severe ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Currently, no practical approach can be used to treat IRI. Puerarin plays a vital role in treating multiple diseases, such as NAFLD, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure. However, its role in the IRI of the fatty liver is still unclear. We aimed to explore whether puerarin could protect the fatty liver from IRI. C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high‐fat diet (HFD) followed by ischemia reperfusion injury. We showed that hepatic IRI was more severe in the fatty liver compared with the normal liver, and puerarin could significantly protect the fatty liver against IRI and alleviate oxidative stress. The PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was activated during IRI, while liver steatosis decreased the level of activation. Puerarin significantly protected the fatty liver from IRI by reactivating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. However, LY294002, a PI3K-AKT inhibitor, attenuated the protective effect of puerarin. In conclusion, puerarin could significantly protect the fatty liver against IRI by activating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

Caracterización clínico-epidemiológica de pacientes con enfermedad hepática esteatósica asociada a disfunción metabólica previa al trasplante en un hospital de cuarto nivel / Clinical-epidemiological characterization of patients with steatotic liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction prior to transplantation in a fourth level hospital

Introducción. La enfermedad hepática esteatósica asociada a disfunción metabólica (MASLD) se ha convertido en la enfermedad hepática crónica más frecuente en los países occidentales, causando un aumento en los costos y en la ocupación hospitalaria. La caracterización integral previa al trasplante hepático en pacientes con MASLD es una gran interrogante, especialmente en nuestro medio. El objetivo del presente estudio fue realizar la caracterización clínico-epidemiológica de pacientes trasplantados por cirrosis hepática (CH) descompensada o carcinoma hepatocelular (CHC) asociado a MASLD. Metodología. Se desarrolló un estudio observacional retrospectivo, descriptivo, de corte transversal en el Servicio de Hepatología del Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe en Medellín, Colombia. Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de 17 años, con diagnóstico de CH o de CHC asociado a MASLD que fueron trasplantados entre los años 2004 a 2017. Resultados. Se encontraron 84 pacientes que fueron trasplantados con esas características. La edad promedio de los pacientes fue de 59±10,5 con una mayor proporción significativa de hombres sobre mujeres, llegando casi al 70 %. Con relación a las comorbilidades, se encontró que el sobrepeso/obesidad, la hipertensión arterial y la diabetes mellitus tipo 2 fueron un hallazgo en el 44,1 %, 33,3 % y 33,3 %, respectivamente. Por otro lado, el 14,5 %, el 33,7 % y el 51,8 % presentaron un Child-Pugh A, B y C, respectivamente. La media del puntaje MELD fue de 18,9±6,26. Con respecto a las complicaciones de la cirrosis, el 77,4 % de los pacientes presentó ascitis, el 61,9 % encefalopatía hepática, el 36,9 % hemorragia del tracto digestivo superior y el 29,8 % peritonitis bacteriana espontánea. Conclusión. Los resultados expuestos mostraron nuestra experiencia en trasplante hepático en pacientes con CH y CHC asociado a MASLD. Se debe realizar una evaluación multidisciplinaria antes y después del trasplante en estos pacientes, haciendo especial énfasis en el manejo de la disfunción metabólica y sus componentes, entre los que se destacan la obesidad y la diabetes mellitus.

Introduction. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become the most frequent chronic liver disease in Western countries, causing increased costs and hospital occupancy. The comprehensive pre-transplant characterization in patients with MASLD is a major question, especially in our setting. The aim of the present study was to perform the clinical-epidemiological characterization of transplanted patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis (LC) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with MASLD. Methodology. A retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional observational study was carried out in the Hepatology Department of the Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital in Medellin, Colombia. Patients over 17 years of age, with a diagnosis of LC or HCC associated with MASLD who were transplanted between 2004 and 2017 were included. Results. We found 84 patients who were transplanted with these characteristics. The mean age of the patients was 59±10.5 with a significantly higher proportion of men over women, reaching almost 70%. Regarding comorbidities, overweight/obesity, arterial hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus were found in 44.1%, 33.3%, and 33.3%, respectively. On the other hand, 14.5%, 33.7%, and 51.8% had Child-Pugh A, B, and C, respectively. The mean MELD score was 18.9±6.26. Regarding complications of cirrhosis, 77.4% of patients developed ascites, 61.9% hepatic encephalopathy, 36.9% upper gastrointestinal tract hemorrhage, and 29.8% spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Conclusion. The above results showed our experience of liver transplantation in patients with LC and HCC associated with MASLD. A multidisciplinary evaluation should be performed before and after transplantation in these patients, with special emphasis on the management of metabolic dysfunction and its components, including obesity and diabetes mellitus.

Efecto del confinamiento por COVID-19 en la prevalencia de la enfermedad hepática esteatósica asociada a disfunción metabólica / Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

Introducción. La enfermedad hepática esteatósica asociada a disfunción metabólica (MASLD) es una condición clínica frecuente, relacionada con el sobrepeso, la dislipidemia y la diabetes. Como estos factores de riesgo están a su vez asociados al sedentarismo y la ganancia de peso, se esperaría un impacto como resultado del confinamiento por COVID-19 en la prevalencia de dicha condición. Metodología. Estudio longitudinal retrospectivo en un panel de datos de 132 pacientes de 2017 a 2022, en donde fueron incluidos pacientes con una ecografía hepática y una valoración médica y paraclínica 1,5 años antes y después del periodo de confinamiento (25 de marzo de 2020 a 28 de febrero de 2021). El desenlace primario fue un cambio significativo en la prevalencia de la MASLD, y se utilizó un modelo exploratorio de regresión logística de efectos fijos con panel de datos para hallar los predictores de cambio. Resultados. En un total de 132 pacientes analizados, la prevalencia global de la MASLD antes (31 %; IC95%: 23-39) y después (35,6 %; IC95%: 27,4-43,8) del confinamiento por COVID-19 no cambió significativamente, sin embargo, en las mujeres sí hubo un aumento significativo (RR: 4; IC95%: 1,0004-16). Se encontró una marcada diferencia de prevalencia entre sexos (17 % en mujeres y 46 % en hombres; p=0,001). El confinamiento se asoció a incrementos en la masa corporal (diferencia: +1 kg; IC95%: 0,1-1,9), el colesterol LDL (diferencia: +9,7 mg/dL; IC95%: 4,9-14,4) y al diagnóstico de prediabetes (RR: 2,1; IC95%: 1,4-3,1). La MASLD se asoció positivamente a la preferencia nutricional por la comida rápida (p=0,047). Solo el índice de masa corporal resultó predictor independiente de MASLD (RR: 1,49; IC95%: 1,07-1,93). Conclusión. La prevalencia global de la MASLD no varió después del confinamiento por COVID-19, pero sí se incrementó en mujeres, y algunos de sus factores de riesgo también aumentaron significativamente. Se encontró equivalencia numérica entre la MASLD y la definición previa de la enfermedad. Se requiere un estudio local más grande para desarrollar y validar un mejor modelo predictor del cambio de la MASLD a través del tiempo.

Introduction. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common clinical condition, related to overweight, dyslipidemia and diabetes. As these risk factors are in turn associated with sedentary lifestyle and weight gain, an impact as a result of the COVID-19 confinement on the prevalence of MASLD would be expected. Methodology. Retrospective longitudinal study in a data panel of 132 patients from 2017 to 2022. Patients with a liver ultrasound and a medical and paraclinical assessment 1.5 years before and after the confinement period (March 25, 2020 to February 28, 2021) were included. The primary outcome was a significant change in the prevalence of MASLD, and an exploratory fixed-effects logistic regression model with panel data was used to find predictors of change. Results. In a total of 132 patients analyzed, the overall prevalence of MASLD before (31%, 95%CI: 23-39) and after (35.6%, 95%CI: 27.4-43.8) confinement by COVID-19 did not change significantly, however, in women there was a significant increase (RR: 4, 95%CI: 1.0004-16). A marked difference in prevalence was found between sexes (17% in women and 46% in men; p=0.001). Confinement was associated with increases in body mass (difference: +1 kg, 95%CI: 0.1-1.9), LDL cholesterol (difference: +9.7 mg/dL, 95%CI: 4.9-14.4) and the diagnosis of prediabetes (RR: 2.1, 95%CI: 1.4-3.1). MASLD was positively associated with nutritional preference for fast food (p=0.047). Only body mass index was an independent predictor of MASLD (RR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.07-1.93). Conclusion. The overall prevalence of MASLD did not change after the COVID-19 lockdown, but it did increase in women, and some of its risk factors also increased significantly. Numerical equivalence was found between MASLD and the previous definition of the disease. A larger local study is required to develop and validate a better predictor model of MASLD change over time.

Danggui Shaoyaosan Regulates Autophagy via AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 Signaling Pathway in Rat Model of Metabolism-associated Fatty Liver Disease / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effect of Danggui Shaoyaosan on adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）/Unc-51-like kinase-1 （ULK1） signaling pathway in the rat model of metabolism-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）. MethodSixty SD rats were randomized into control， model， western medicine （polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules，0.144 g·kg-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （2.44， 4.88， 9.76 g·kg-1， respectively） Danggui Shaoyaosan groups. After being fed with a high-fat diet for 8 weeks， the rats in each group were administrated with corresponding drugs for 4 weeks. At the end of drug treatment， serum and liver tissue were collected for subsequent determination of related indicators. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed increased contents of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） and activities of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） in the serum， increased contents of TC， TG， and free fatty acids （FFAs） in the liver （P<0.01）， and decreased content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） in the serum （P<0.01）. Furthermore， the model group showed down-regulated protein levels of p-AMPK， microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B） Ⅱ， Beclin1， and ULK1 （P<0.01） and up-regulated protein levels of p-mTOR and ubiquitin-binding protein p62 in the liver （P<0.01）. The hepatic steatosis was obvious and the NAFLD activity score （NAS） and oil red O staining area increased in the model group， （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Danggui Shaoyaosan reduced the contents of TC and TG and the activities of ALT and AST in the serum， lowered the levels of TC， TG， and FFA in the liver， down-regulated the protein levels of p-mTOR and p62 （P<0.01）， elevated the serum HDL-C level， and up-regulated the protein levels of p-AMPK， LCBⅡ， Beclin1， and ULK1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， it alleviated hepatic steatosis and decreased the NAS and oil red O staining area （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDanggui Shaoyaosan has therapeutic effect on MAFLD rats by regulating AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway to enhance autophagy.

Efficacy and safety of probiotics in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease：a meta-analysis / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of probiotics in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS Retrieved from CNKI， Wanfang data， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed， Embase， Web of Science， Cochrane library databases， the published randomized controlled trials （RCTs） about probiotics（treatment group） versus placebo or healthy lifestyle（control group） in the treatment of NAFLD were collected from the inception to Oct. 10th， 2023. The quality of the included literature was evaluated and rated by Cochrane system evaluator manual 5.1.0 and GRADE tools. Meta-analysis and Egger’s test were carried out by using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 17.0 software. RESULTS Overall 24 RCTs were included in this study， involving 1 391 patients with NAFLD. Meta-analysis showed that compared with control group， the levels of alanine aminotransferase [MD＝－6.29， 95%CI （－9.35， －3.22）， P＜0.000 1]， aspartate aminotransferase [MD＝－4.89， 95%CI （－7.55， －2.23）， P＝0.000 3] and γ-glutamyl transferase [MD＝－4.87， 95%CI （－6.54， －3.20）， P＜0.000 01]， the liver stiffness measurement [MD＝－0.36， 95%CI （－0.48， －0.24）， P＜0.000 01]， the levels of triglycerides [MD＝－0.22， 95%CI （－0.27， －0.16）， P＜0.000 01]， total cholesterol [MD＝－0.34， 95%CI （－0.44， －0.25）， P＜0.000 01] and insulin resistance assessed by homeostasis model [MD＝－0.38， 95%CI （－0.63， －0.13）， P＝0.003] were all significantly decreased in the treatment group. However， there was no statistically significant difference of probiotics therapy in the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α [MD＝－0.41， 95%CI （－1.29， 0.48）， P＝0.37]， interleukin-6 [MD＝0.39， 95%CI （ －0.10， 0.88）， P＝0.12]， high- sensitivity C-reactive protein [MD＝－0.30， 95%CI （－0.85，0.25）， P＝0.28]， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [MD＝0.03， 95%CI （ －0.01， 0.06）， P＝0.10] and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [MD＝－0.10， 95%CI （－0.27， 0.07）， P＝0.23] and body mass index [MD＝0.07， 95%CI （－0.26， 0.40）， P＝0.68]. Subgroup analysis based on different intervention measures showed that the levels of γ-glutamyl transferase， liver stiffness measurement， and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance in the synbiotic group were not significantly improved compared to the control group， with consistent results for the remaining outcomes. Egger’s test results showed no publication bias. CONCLUSIONS The probiotic therapy can regulate liver function indexes， liver stiffness measurement and insulin resistance levels in patients with NAFLD well.

Application study of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis based on radiomics of computed tomography / 中国现代医生

Objective To construct and validate a whole liver radiomics model based on computed tomography(CT)to identify patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).Methods A total of 122 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease treated in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from June 2018 to December 2022 were retrospectively selected,including 52 patients with NASH.They were randomly divided into training group(n=85)and test group(n=37)according to a ratio of 7:3,and the liver plain scan images of each patient were selected to extract the radiomics features.The extracted features of the training group were dimensioned down and the radiomics signature was established.After that,a joint model was constructed with relevant clinical features to identify NASH patients,and the diagnostic effectiveness of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve and test group data.Results The joint model was constructed based on age and radiomics labels.The diagnostic efficiency of the model for identifying NASH patients in training group and test group were 0.899 and 0.880,the specificity were 91.2%and 88.1%,and the sensitivity were 86.7%and 88.2%,respectively.In addition,the calibration curve also showed good calibration performance in training group and test group.Conclusion The joint model based on liver CT can quantitatively evaluate NASH,and is expected to provide a non-invasive evaluation tool for clinical use.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease related health outcomes and influencing factors among community inhabitants / 上海预防医学

ObjectiveTo describe different non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） outcomes among community inhabitants， and further to explore the correlation between bio-indicator level variance and the outcomes. MethodsPhysical indicators （height， weight， waist circumstances， hip circumstances， blood pressure， etc）， biochemical indicators ［fasting plasma glucose， HbA1c， serum triglycerides（TG）， serum total cholesterol（TC）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol（HDL-C）， liver related transaminase， etc］ and clinical imaging （B-scan ultrasonography） were collected during the follow-up from the Songjiang Natural Population Sub-cohort. The identification of NAFLD was supported by the definition criteria from Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of non⁃alcoholic fatty liver disease. Paired t-test and multifactorial logistic regression model were used to compare the difference between the indicator level of the subjects from different outcome subgroups and to further analyze the correlation between these indicator variance and different NAFLD outcomes. ResultsDuring a median follow-up time of 2.94 years， 12 076 subjects were involved. The cumulative NAFLD incidence and remission rate were 21.57% and 31.15%， respectively. The proportion of subjects who still had NAFLD was 27.96%. Among subjects with newly-developed NAFLD， indicators including blood pressure， BMI， fasting plasma glucose， and plasma lipid level increased， while in the remission subgroup， blood pressure， BMI（WHR）， waist-hip ratio（WHR）， and TG level were significantly decreased. Increased level of systolic pressure， WHR， BMI， HbA1c， and LDL-C might be the risk factors to the occurrence of NAFLD. While decreased level of WHR， BMI， TC and LDL-C level and elevated HDL-C level were likely to be the influencing factors of NAFLD remission process. ConclusionThe NAFLD morbidity in the community inhabitants is relatively high. BMI， WHR， fasting plasma sugar and plama lipid level variance may act as the influencing factors towards different NAFLD outcomes.

Virological features of chronic hepatitis B patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease： A stratified analysis / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the virological features of patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB） and metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） through a stratified analysis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 131 patients with CHB and MAFLD and 168 patients with CHB alone who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy and did not receive antiviral therapy or withdrew from drugs for more than 6 months in Beijing YouAn Hospital， Capital Medical University， from January 1， 2013 to December 31， 2019. The two groups were compared in terms of general data， biochemical parameters， and virological parameters. The patients in the two groups were stratified according to liver inflammation grade （G） and liver fibrosis stage （S）， and the patients with CHB and MAFLD were further analyzed based on the degree of hepatic steatosis and NAFLD activity score （NAS）. Virological features （the serum levels of HBV DNA and HBV HBsAg） were compared between groups. The Wilcoxon test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsCompared with the CHB group， the CHB+MAFLD group had a significantly higher proportion of male patients， a significantly higher proportion of patients with hypertension or type 2 diabetes mellitus， and significantly higher levels of the blood biochemical parameters of triglyceride， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol， apolipoprotein B， alanine aminotransferase， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase， uric acid， and fasting blood glucose （all P<0.05）， as well as significantly lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol， apolipoprotein A1， and HBV DNA （all P<0.05）. The stratified analysis based on liver fibrosis stage showed that for both the patients with CHB alone and those with CHB and MAFLD， the significant fibrosis （S2‍ ‍—‍ ‍4） group had a significantly lower level of HBV DNA than the non-significant fibrosis （S0‍ ‍—‍ ‍1） group （P<0.05）， and for the patients with CHB alone， the significant fibrosis （S2‍ ‍—‍ ‍4） group had a significantly lower level of HBsAg than the non-significant fibrosis （S0‍ ‍—‍ ‍1） group （P<0.05）. The stratified analysis based on inflammation grade showed that for the patients with CHB and MAFLD， the high inflammation grade （G3） group had a significantly higher level of HBV DNA than the low inflammation grade （G1‍ ‍—‍ ‍2） group （P<0.05）， and in the low inflammation grade （G1‍ ‍—‍ ‍2） group， the patients with CHB and MAFLD had a significantly lower level of HBsAg than the patients with CHB alone （P<0.05）. The stratified analysis based on the degree of hepatic steatosis showed that the level of HBV DNA gradually decreased with the increase in the degree of steatosis， and the severe steatosis group had a significantly lower level of HBV DNA than the mild group （P<0.05）， while there was no significant difference in HBsAg level between the groups with different degrees of hepatic steatosis （P>0.05）. The stratified analysis based on NAS score showed that the NAS≥4 group had significantly higher levels of HBV DNA and HBsAg than the NAS<4 group （both P<0.05）. ConclusionPatients with CHB and MAFLD have significant abnormalities in metabolic markers and aminotransferases， while virological indicators show different features in stratified analyses based on various indicators.

Expression of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and its clinical significance in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） and obesity， as well as the correlation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D with liver function， blood lipids， and inflammatory indicators. MethodsA total of 90 patients with NAFLD who attended Shanxi Bethune Hospital from January 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled， and according to the body mass index （BMI）， they were divided into NAFLD+obesity group with 60 patients （BMI≥28 kg/m2） and NAFLD group with 30 patients （BMI<28 kg/m2）； 30 individuals who underwent physical examination during the same period of time were enrolled as control group. Related indications were measured for all three groups， including serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D， liver function parameters （alanine aminotransferase ［ALT］， aspartate aminotransferase ［AST］， alkaline phosphatase ［ALP］， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase ［GGT］， total bilirubin ［TBil］， and direct bilirubin ［DBil］）， blood lipid parameters （high-density lipoprotein ［HDL］， low-density lipoprotein ［LDL］， total cholesterol ［TC］， and triglyceride ［TG］）， inflammatory indicators （high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ［H-CRP］ and Golgi protein 73 ［GP-73］）， cytokines （interleukin-2 ［IL-2］， interleukin-4 ［IL-4］， interleukin-6 ［IL-6］， interleukin-10 ［IL-10］， interleukin-17 ［IL-17］， interleukin-1β ［IL-1β］， tumor necrosis factor-α ［TNF-α］， and interferon gamma ［IFN-γ］）， and liver/spleen volume ratio. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test or the Tamhane’s T2 test was used for further comparison between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups. A Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsCompared with the control group， the NAFLD+obesity group had significant reductions in 25-hydroxyvitamin D， HDL， cytokines （IL-2， IL-4， IL-10， and IFN-γ）， and liver/spleen volume ratio （all P<0.05）， as well as significant increases in liver function parameters （ALT， AST， ALP， GGT， TBil， and DBil）， blood lipid parameters （LDL， TC， and TG）， inflammatory indicators （H-CRP and GP-73）， and cytokines （IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α） （all P<0.05）. There were significant differences between the NAFLD+obesity group and the NAFLD group in all the above indicators except liver/spleen volume ratio and H-CRP （all P<0.05）. The correlation analysis showed that 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was negatively correlated with ALT （r=-0.324， P=0.012）， AST （r=-0.421， P=0.001）， ALP （r=-0.435， P=0.001）， GGT （r=-0.343， P=0.007）， TBil （r=-0.532， P<0.001）， DBil （r=-0.521， P<0.001）， LDL （r=-0.405， P=0.001）， TC （r=-0.466， P<0.001）， TG （r=-0.551， P<0.001）， H-CRP （r=-0.434， P=0.014）， GP-73 （r=-0.421， P=0.001）， IL-1β （r=-0.433， P=0.001）， IL-17 （r=-0.465， P<0.001）， and TNF-α （r=-0.533， P<0.001）， and it was positively correlated with HDL （r=0.632， P<0.001）， IL-2 （r=0.546， P<0.001）， IL-4 （r=0.533， P<0.001）， IL-10 （r=0.456， P<0.001）， and liver/spleen volume ratio （r=0.543， P<0.001）. ConclusionSerum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is significantly correlated with liver function parameters， blood lipid parameters， and inflammatory indicators in patients with NAFLD and obesity， and it may alleviate the symptoms of patients with NAFLD and obesity by reducing inflammatory response， which provides new intervention strategies for the treatment of NAFLD.

Association between sleep disorders and different stages of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of sleep disorders with the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. MethodsA total of 1 868 participants from the health examination cohort and fatty liver cohort of Beijing Friendship Hospital from June 2022 to June 2023 were enrolled as subjects. Related data were collected from all subjects， including age， sex， education level， chronic medical history， and biochemical parameters， and all subjects completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI） scale independently. According to the diagnostic criteria， the subjects were divided into non-NAFLD group with 1 122 subjects and NAFLD group with 746 subjects， and according to the stage of progression， the patients in the NAFLD group were further divided into simple fatty liver group （SFL group with 624 subjects） and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH） group with 122 subjects. A one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between three groups. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between the three groups. The binary Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between sleep factors and NAFLD， and the multinomial Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between sleep factors and the different stages of NAFLD； two multivariate models were constructed for adjustment of potential confounding factors， i.e.， an age-sex adjustment model and a multivariate adjustment model， and the multivariate adjustment model adjusted the factors of age， sex， education level， smoking， diabetes， hypertension， body mass index （BMI）， triglyceride （TG）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）. ResultsThere were significant differences in age， sex， BMI， education level， smoking， diabetes， hypertension， alanine aminotransferase， TG， and HDL-C between the non-NAFLD， SFL， and NASH groups （all P<0.05）. There were also significant differences between the three groups in the total score of PSQI scale and the proportion of subjects with a score of 0‍ ‍—‍ ‍3 points for the 7 sleep components （all P<0.05）. The multivariate adjustment model showed no significant association between sleep disorders and SFL， while long sleep latency （odds ratio ［OR］=4.04， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 2.33‍ ‍—‍ ‍7.03， P<0.001）， short sleep duration （OR=3.53， 95%CI： 1.83‍ ‍—‍ ‍6.82， P<0.001）， and severe sleep disorders （OR=2.96， 95%CI： 1.48‍ ‍—‍ ‍5.93， P=0.002） were closely associated with the risk of NASH. ConclusionOverall sleep condition and its components of sleep disorders are not significantly associated with the simple fatty liver； however， long sleep latency， short sleep duration， and severe sleep disorders can increase the risk of NASH， which should be taken seriously in clinical practice.

Association between Helicobacter pylori and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease： A Meta-analysis / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. MethodsThis study was conducted acoording to the PRISMA guideline， with a PROSPERO registration number of CRD42023408932. Databases including PubMed， the Cochrane Library， Web of Science， Embase， CBM， Wanfang Data， CNKI， and VIP were searched for related articles published up to June 2023. This study was conducted for the case-control studies， cross-sectional studies， and cohort studies that included clear detection criteria for HP and evaluation criteria for NAFLD and performed the multivariate analysis to investigate the association between HP infection and NAFLD. Odds ratio （OR） and its 95% confidence interval （CI） were selected as the effect measures， and STATA 15.0 software was used to perform the Meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 33 primary studies were included， with 236 514 subjects in total. The Meta-analysis showed that HP was associated with the high prevalence rate of NAFLD （OR=1.25， 95%CI： 1.16‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.35， P<0.05， I2=93.7%）. Subgroup analysis was conducted in terms of sample size， the diagnostic method for HP， the quality of primary study， the health status of subjects， and the type of primary study， but no clear source of heterogeneity was found. The Meta-regression analysis was conducted with the covariates of sample size， the diagnostic method for HP， the quality of primary study， the health status of subjects， and the type of primary study， and the results showed that the health status of subjects and the type of primary study might be the sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis showed that the overall results were stable， and funnel plots and the Egger test showed no significant publication bias. ConclusionHP is associated with the high prevalence rate of NAFLD in the general population， and large-scale prospective cohort studies are still needed to specifically and comprehensively evaluate the association between HP and NAFLD.

Role of lipophagy in the prevention and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 临床肝胆病杂志

Nowadays， the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is constantly rising in China and globally， and its incidence rate is increasing year by year， which has seriously affected human life and health. Lipophagy is molecular chaperone-mediated autophagy and has the functions of promoting lipolysis， maintaining the lipid homeostasis of hepatocytes， and alleviating hepatocyte fatty degeneration. Lipophagy has three main processes of lipid droplet catabolism， lipid droplet autophagy， and fatty acid β-oxidation， which are regulated by key genes， receptors， and enzymes. Currently， important advances have been achieved for the intervention methods of traditional Chinese medicine， Western medicine， diet， and exercise in the research on lipophagy， which provides new perspectives for the prevention and treatment strategies for NAFLD.

Mechanism of action of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and related therapeutic targets / 临床肝胆病杂志

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） has become the most common liver disease in the world and is an important risk factor for the progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. However， the pathogenesis of NAFLD remains unclear， and there is still a lack of specific treatment measures. Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins （SREBP） are an important nuclear transcription factor， which mainly maintains the balance of lipid metabolism inside the body by activating the genes associated with the synthesis and uptake of cholesterol， fatty acids， and triglycerides， and therefore， SREBP are a target for the treatment of metabolic diseases. This article reviews the latest advances in SREBP in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the latest evidence of SREBP-targeted therapy for NAFLD. It is worth noting that recent studies have shown that SREBP inhibition can cause liver injury together with autophagy damage. Therefore， excessive inhibition of lipogenesis may exert a counterproductive effect on the treatment of NAFLD. In conclusion， SREBP is a promising therapeutic target for NAFLD； the molecular mechanism of SREBP in lipid metabolism is regulated by many factors， and these factors are being deeply explored and analyzed， which has an important clinical significance for the treatment of NAFLD.

The Roles of Small Extracellular Vesicles and Small Extracellular Vesicles-derived Non-coding RNA in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a kind of exsomes secreted by cells, which all cells release them as part of their normal physiology and during acquired abnormalities. EVs can be broadly divided into two categories by their sizes, small EVs (sEVs) and medium/large EVs (m/l EVs). As a kind of extracellular vesicle, sEVs are mostly discoid vesicles with diameters ranging from 40 nm to 200 nm. The medium/large EVs are elliptical with a diameter more than 200 nm. sEVs play a crucial role in intercellular communication and have emerged as important mediators in the development and progression of liver diseases. In this review, we discussed the current understanding of the role of sEVs, particularly sEV derived non-coding RNA in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. sEVs are small membrane-bound particles secreted by cells, which fuse with plasma membrane and release to extracellular matrix. Depending on the cell of origin, sEVs could contain many cell constituents, including various DNA, RNA, lipids, metabolites, and cytosolic and cell-surface proteins, biomolecules. In addition, many RNA and DNA molecules contained by sEVs, such as mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), can be transferred to recipient cells to effectively promote their biological response, physiological and pathological functions. Such sEVs-mediated responses can be disease promoting or restraining. The intrinsic properties of sEVs in regulating complex intracellular pathways has advanced their potential utility in the therapeutic control of many diseases. Recent studies reviewed here also indicate a functional, targeted, mechanism-driven accumulation of specific cellular components in sEVs, suggesting that they have a role in regulating intercellular communication. Many studies have also shown the involvement of sEVs’ noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in controlling cell activities and their crucial functions in regulating lipid metabolism. sEVs ncRNAs, including miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate physiological functions and maintain lipid metabolism homeostasis. miRNA are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression by repressing messenger RNA-targets. These circulating miRNAs are easily accessible, disease-specific and sensitive to small changes, which makes them ideal biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic, predictive or monitoring purposes. Specific miRNA signatures can be reflective of disease status and development or indicators of poor treatment response in liver diseases. And lncRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression by interacting with transcription factors or chromatin-modifying enzymes, which regulate gene expression by binding to target mRNAs. Then circRNAs contributed to NAFLD progression by acting as miRNA sponges, functional protein sponges, or novel templates for protein translation. Finally, sEVs could be engineered to deliver diverse therapeutic payloads, including short interfering RNAs, antisense oligonucleotides and so on, with an ability to direct their delivery to a desired target. The potential of targeting sEVs with lncRNAs and miRNAs not only could be potential diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD, but also have potential therapeutic effects on NAFLD, which might provide new ideas for the NAFLD treatment. In conclusion, this review provides an overview of the current understanding of the roles of sEVs ncRNAs in NAFLD, so we suggest that further research into sEVs could lead to new diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.

FGF1-based Drugs for The Treatment of Obesity-related Complications / 生物化学与生物物理进展

At present, the incidence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic levels worldwide, which call a challenge to the prevention and control of chronic metabolic diseases. Because obesity is a major risk factor for a range of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2DM), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, sleep apnea, and some types of cancer. However, the drugs remain limited. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective long-term treatments to address obesity-related complications. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) is an important regulator of systemic energy homeostasis, glycolipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. FGF1 is a non-glycosylated polypeptide consisting of 155 amino acids, consisting of 12 inverted parallel β chains with amino and carboxyl terminus, and N-terminus extending freely without the typical secretory signaling sequence, closely related to its own biological activity. Thus, FGF1 mutants or derivatives with different activities can be designed by substitution or splicing modification at theN-terminal. FGF1 plays an irreplaceable role in the development, deposition and function of fat. High-fat diet can regulate available FGF1 through two independent mechanisms of nutritional perception and mechanical perception, and influence the function of fat cells. FGF1 controls blood glucose through peripheral and central effects, enhances insulin sensitivity, improves insulin resistance, and plays a role in diabetic complications, which is expected to become a new target for the treatment of T2DM in the future. FGF1 may be involved in the regulation of NAFLD from mild steatosis to severe non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. FGF1 is closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of cancers, improve the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs, and play a direct and indirect anti-cancer role. In addition, FGF1 plays an important role in the occurrence and development of the cardiovascular system and the improvement of cardiovascular diseases such as ischemia/reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, pathological cardiac remodeling, cardiotoxicity. Therefore, FGF1 shows a number of therapeutic benefits in the treatment of obesity and obesity-related complications. But because FGF1 has strong mitotic activity and long-term use has been associated with an increased risk of tumorigenesis, its use in vivo has been limited and enthusiasm for developing it to treat obesity-related complications has been dampened. However, FGF1 was found to induce cell proliferation primarily through FGFR3 and FGFR4, but its metabolic activity was mainly mediated by FGFR1. That is, FGF1 activity that promotes mitosis and anti-obesity-related complications appears to be separable. Currently, many engineered FGF1 variants have been developed, such as FGF1ΔHBS, MT-FGF1ΔHBS, FGF1∆NT, ∆nFGF1, FGF1R50E. Although the effect of FGF1 or its analogues on obesity-related complications has been demonstrated in many rodent studies, there are no relevant clinical results. This may be due to the unknown safety and therapeutic efficacy of FGF1 in large animals and humans, as well as concerns about tumorigenesis that hinder its development into a lifelong therapeutic agent. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of FGF1-based biologic drugs for the treatment of obesity-related complications, highlights major challenges in clinical implementation, and discusses possible strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Effects of liraglutide on cardiovascular metabolism，left ventricular structure and function in NAFLD patients with T2DM / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of liraglutide on cardiovascular metabolism， left ventricular structure and function of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. METHODS Totally 351 NAFLD patients with T2DM were enrolled retrospectively， who visited the Department of Endocrinology in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2022. They were divided into control group （196 cases） and observation group （155 cases） according to different treatment regimens. The control group received conventional standard treatment， and the observation group was additionally given Liraglutide injection 0.6 mg/d subcutaneously once a day based on the control group， adjusted to 1.2 mg/d after 7 days. Both groups received regular treatment for more than 12 months. The propensity matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1. The cardiovascular metabolism indexes and cardiac ultrasound parameters were compared， and the correlation between left ventricular structure， function parameters and cardiovascular metabolism indexes was analyzed. RESULTS After propensity score matching， there was no significant difference in baseline clinical data between the two groups （each 155 cases） before treatment （P＞0.05）. After 12 months of treatment， the waist circumference， weight， body mass index （BMI）， systolic blood pressure （SBP）， fasting blood glucose （FBG）， glycosylated hemoglobin （HbA1c） and triglyceride （TG） of both groups， as well as the diastolic blood pressure （DBP）， total cholesterol （TC）， uric acid （UA） and left ventricular mass （LVM） of the observation group， exhibited a significant decrease compared to pre-treatment levels （P＜0.05）. The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR）， and E/A ratio in both groups， as well as the aspartate aminotransferase （AST） in the control group and the left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） in the observation group， were all significantly increased compared with before treatment in the same group （P＜0.05）. Moreover， the improvement of the above indicators （except for TG and SBP） in the observation group was generally more significant than those in the control group （P＜0.05）. The left ventricular structure and functional parameters （LVM， LVEF， E/A ratio） of the two groups before and after treatment had varying degrees of correlation with the patients’ waist circumference， body weight， BMI， SBP， FBG and HbA1c. Moreover， BMI （observation group： β＝ 0.229， P＝0.004） and SBP （control group： β＝0.240， P＝0.004； observation group： β＝0.226， P＝0.007） were independent influential factors for LVM of the patients. CONCLUSIONS Liraglutide combined with conventional standard treatment can effectively control blood glucose in NAFLD patients with T2DM， reduce waist circumference， body weight and blood pressure， improve blood lipid disorders， and protect their cardiac structure and function.

Factors influencing the length of hospital stays of the AFLP patients and the establishment of prediction model / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the factors influencing the length of hospital stays of the acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) patients, so as to establish the prediction model. 【Methods】 A total of 49 patients diagnosed as AFLP)in ShenZhen People’s Hospital between January 2008 and January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the median length of hospital stays, the patients were divided into two groups: Group A(n=21)and Group B(n=28). Preoperative general laboratory data, clinical features and postpartum adverse outcomes in both groups were analyzed. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to analyze the independent factors affecting the length of hospital stays for AFLP, and a prediction model for hospitalization time was established. 【Results】 Comparison between Group B and Group A were as follows: hospital stays(d)(15.5 vs 8), preoperative icterus(%)[16(57.1%)vs 3(14.3%)], thrombin time(TT)(s)(24.2 vs 21.3), prothrombin time(PT)(s)(16.8 vs 15.3), activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT)(s)(52.3 vs 40.7), total bilirubin(TBIL)(μmol/L)(77.2 vs 45.2), indirect bilirubin(IBIL)(μmol/L)(21.2 vs 10), creatinine(Cre)(μmol/L)[(171.97±53.34) vs (131.81±45.06]), TT extension(%)[24(85.7%)vs 11(52.4%)], APTT extension(%)[27(96.4%)vs 7(33.3%)], IBIL elevation(%)[19(67.9%)vs 4(19%)], Cre concentration rise(%)[21(75%)vs 8(38%)], number of postpartum plasma exchange sessions(%)[23(82.1%)vs 5(23.8%)], postpregnancy co-infection phenomenon(%)[21(75%)vs 4(19%)], with Group B significantly higher than Group A. The preoperative platelet count(×109/L)(128 vs 221)and the concentration of fibrinogen(g/L)[0.9 vs 1.6] in Group B were significantly lower than those in Group A. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative icterus, postpregnancy co-infection phenomenon, number of postpartum plasma exchange sessions, preoperative TT extension, preoperative APTT extension, Cre concentration rise were influencing factors for the hospital stays of AFLP patients. According to the minimum result of Akaike information criterion, the multivariate binary logistic regression analysis (step-wise selection) showed that the number of postpartum plasma exchange sessions, icterus, preoperative APTT extension were the independent risk factor influencing the hospital stays of AFLP patients, and the logistic regression prediction model was established by incorporating the above three factors. Regularization techniques were further employed in linear regression to address and assess overfitting issues. Additionally, the confidence interval for the estimated effect sizes in each model have been acquired by bootstrapping techniques. 【Conclusion】 Preoperative icterus, preoperative APTT extension(APTT>43s)and the number of postpartum plasma exchange sessions were the independent risk factor influencing the hospital stays of AFLP patients and the logistic regression prediction model with high predictive effectiveness was established successfully.

Influence of Transcription Factor KLF16 on Lipid Metabolism in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo explore the expression of transcription factor KLF16 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） and its effect on lipid metabolism. MethodsAn animal model of NAFLD was constructed in mice induced by a high-fat diet. The mice were divided into normal diet group （ND） and high fat diet group （HFD）. NAFLD cell model was constructed by primary mouse liver cells induced by oleic acid. The cells were divided into control group （Control group） and oleic acid induction group （OA group）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR （RT-qPCR） and Western blot were used to detect KLF16 expression in NAFLD animal and cell models. In vitro and in vivo models of KLF16 knockdown were constructed by injection of adeno-associated virus （AAV） into mouse tail veins and transient transfection of cell siRNA. Hematoxylin-eosin staining （HE） and other methods were used to detect changes in lipid deposition in NAFLD models before and after KLF16 knockout. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of key genes of lipid metabolism in both cellular and animal NAFLD models before and after KLF16 knockdown. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress protein in NAFLD model before and after KLF16 knockdown. ResultsThe expression level of KLF16 was up-regulated in HFD group and OA group， and lipid deposition was increased in OA group after KLF16 was depressed. There was no change in TC level in hepatocytes between groups （P>0.05）， and TG level was increased in different degrees （P<0.05， P<0.001）. At the same time， the change of KLF16 expression also caused the change of ER stress protein expression in OA group. ConclusionThe transcription factor KLF16 may alleviate lipid deposition in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Gastrodin Inhibits Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease via Mediating SREBP1c Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of gastrodin on the steroid regulatory element-binding protein 1c （SREBP1c） signaling pathway in high-fat high-cholesterol diet （HFHC）-induced mice and explore the mechanism of gastrodin in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. MethodEight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were used in vivo and divided into the following four groups， with six mice in each group： normal group， gastrodin group （50 mg·kg-1）， model group， and model + gastrodin group （50 mg·kg-1）. NAFLD model was established by feeding mice with HFHC for four weeks， and the mice were euthanized and the liver tissues were collected after four weeks. In vitro experiments were performed using Huh7 cells which were divided into five groups， and induced with free fatty acids （FFA， 200 μmol·L-1， oleic acid-palmitic acid 2∶1） to establish an NAFLD cell model. After 24 h， different concentrations of gastrodin （0， 5， 10， 20， and 40 μmol·L-1） were added to each group and cultured for another 24 h. Oil red O staining was used to detect lipid accumulation in mouse liver and Huh7 cells. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in liver tissue. Levels of serum total cholesterol （TC）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and triglycerides （TG） were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Relevant assay kits were used to detect liver TC， TG， and FFA levels. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the expression of lipid synthesis-related proteins fatty acid synthase （FASN）， acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 （ACC1）， and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 （SCD1）. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased serum TC， LDL-C， and TG levels （P<0.01）， liver TC， TG， and FFA levels （P<0.01）， increased lipid accumulation in Huh7 cells （P<0.01）， and significantly increased expression levels of lipid synthesis-related genes SREBP1c， FASN， ACC1， and SCD1 in mice and Huh7 cells （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， after gastrodin treatment， the serum TC， LDL-C， and TG levels in mice significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the severity of fatty liver disease improved significantly， liver TC， TG， and FFA levels decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）， lipid accumulation in Huh7 cells decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the expression levels of lipid synthesis-related genes SREBP1c， FASN， ACC1， and SCD1 in mice and Huh7 cells decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionGastrodin can reduce hepatic lipid accumulation and blood lipid levels， improve HFHC-induced NAFLD， and its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of the SREBP1c lipid synthesis-related signaling pathway.