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. 2023 Sep:165:115279.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115279. Epub 2023 Aug 4.

Advanced effect of curcumin and resveratrol on mitigating hepatic steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and HIF-1/VEGF cascade

Yuhui He  1 , Huan Wang  1 , Shiling Lin  1 , Tao Chen  1 , Dennis Chang  2 , Yibin Sun  1 , Chenxiang Wang  1 , Yang Liu  2 , Yusheng Lu  3 , Jianyuan Song  4 , Shaohua Li  1 , Wen Xu  1 , Yanxiang Lin  1 , Yanfang Zheng  5 , Xian Zhou  6 , Qiumei Huang  7 , Mingqing Huang  8
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Free article

Advanced effect of curcumin and resveratrol on mitigating hepatic steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and HIF-1/VEGF cascade

Yuhui He et al. Biomed Pharmacother. 2023 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease that has no viable treatment. Curcumin (Cur) and resveratrol (Res) are two natural products that have been studied for their potential to ameliorate MAFLD. However, while these compounds have been investigated individually, their combined use and the potential for a synergistic or augmented effect remain unexplored. This study aims to investigate the effect of curcumin (Cur) and resveratrol (Res) as a potential combination therapy on MAFLD. Cur, Res and Cur+Res were tested in palmitic acid (PA)-induced-HepG2 cells. MAFLD model was established using Goto-Kakizaki rats. The animals were treated with vehicle control (model group), Cur (150 mg/kg), Res (150 mg/kg), Cur+Res (150 mg/kg, 8:2, w/w), or metformin (Met, positive control, 400 mg/kg/day) via oral gavage for 4 weeks. Wistar rats were used as the control group. Network pharmacology was conducted to elucidate the molecular actions of Cur and Res, followed by q-PCR and immunoblotting in vivo. Cur+Res exhibited synergistic effects in reducing triglyceride, total cholesterol and lipid accumulation in PA-induced HepG2 cells. The combination also markedly attenuated hepatic steatosis in the MAFLD rats. Network pharmacology illustrated that the interaction of Cur and Res was associated with the modulation of multiple molecular targets associated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and HIF-1 signaling pathways. Experimental results confirmed that Cur+Res nomalised the gene targets and protein expressions in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and HIF-1 signaling pathways, including PI3K, mTOR, STAT-3, HIF-1α, and VEGF. The present study demonstrated an advanced effect of Cur and Res in combination to attenuate MAFLD, and the mechanism is at least partly associated with the modulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and HIF-1 signaling pathways.

Keywords: Curcumin; HIF-1-VEGF; Hepatic steatosis; Metabolism-related fatty liver disease; PI3K/AKT/mTOR; Resveratrol; Synergy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. As a medical research institute, NICM Health Research Institute receives re-search grants and donations from foundations, universities, government agencies, individuals and industry. Sponsors and donors also provide untied funding for work to advance the vision and mission of the Institute.

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