Salidroside activates the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway to suppress non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIMS\nNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is becoming a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Salidroside (p-hydroxyphenethyl-β-d-glucoside) has various biological and pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer activities. However, the therapeutic effect and underlying molecular mechanism of salidroside in NASH remain to be further clarified.\n\n\nMETHODS & RESULTS\nIn this study, we found that salidroside alleviated lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in primary hepatocytes after palmitic acid/oleic acid (PO) stimulation. In addition, salidroside effectively prevented high-fat/high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet induced NASH progression by regulating glucose metabolism dysregulation, insulin resistance, lipid accumulation, inflammation and fibrosis. Mechanistically, integrated RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis showed that salidroside promoted AMPK signaling pathway activation in vitro and in vivo, and this finding was further verified by determining the phosphorylation levels of AMPK. Furthermore, the protective effects of salidroside on lipid accumulation and inflammation in hepatocytes and livers induced by PO- or HFHC- stimulation were blocked by AMPK interruption.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nOur studies demonstrate that salidroside protects against metabolic stress-induced NASH progression through activation of AMPK signaling, indicating that salidroside could be a potential new drug component for NASH therapy.