Pinocembrin ameliorates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by activating Nrf2/HO-1 and inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objectives: The high intake of high-fat diets and changes in sedentary lifestyles have led to an increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of Pinocembrin (Pin) on NAFLD and .

Methods: The pharmacodynamics of Pin alone or in combination with ML385 was assessed in high-fat diet (HFD)-mediated NAFLD mice. HepG2 cells were treated with palmitic acid (PA)/oleic acid (OA) (1:2) as an model to study the effect of Pin on lipid deposition and oxidative stress. The roles of Pin in glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB pathway were measured.

Results: Pin alleviated lipid deposition, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress in HFD-induced NAFLD mice and PA/OA-induced HepG2 cells. Moreover, ML385 partly attenuated the protection of Pin on inflammatory response and oxidative stress and . More importantly, feeding with an HFD significantly decreased the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1, but treatment with Pin increased their expression, accompanied by an increased nuclear transposition of Nrf2.

Conclusion: Taken together, these results indicated that Pin alleviated glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, inflammation, and oxidative stress in NAFLD by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and restraining the NF-κB pathway.