Protective effects of polysaccharide from Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (jackfruit) pulp on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in high-fat diet rats via PPAR and AMPK signaling pathways

Abstract

A polysaccharide from jackfruit pulp (JFP-Ps) has been found to exhibit various types of bioactivities. This study aimed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of JFP-Ps on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet in rats. The pathological changes in the liver and liver function were determined using hematoxylin-eosin staining and biochemical analysis. RT-qPCR and Western blots were employed to study the expression of proteins associated with lipid metabolism and proinflammatory cytokines. Results showed that JFP-Ps reduced liver weight and liver index, and influenced liver function in high-fat diet rats. Furthermore, JFP-Ps up-regulated the lipolytic genes (PPARα, LPL, CPT1, HSL) expression, downregulated the expression of lipogenic genes (SREBP-1c, ACC, FAS) and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) genes. JFP-Ps increased the protein expression of p-AMPK, and decreased the protein expression of SREBP-1c and AMPK. These results revealed that JFP-Ps might improve liver function and alleviate NAFLD through activating PPAR and AMPK signaling pathways.

Keywords

• Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. polysaccharide
• Liver function
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Signaling pathways