Resveratrol attenuates hepatic steatosis in high-fat fed mice by decreasing lipogenesis and inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: Resveratrol (RSV) is the most studied natural compound that activates sirtuins, which produce beneficial metabolic effects on lipid and glucose metabolism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of resveratrol in preventing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and expression of liver inflammatory markers in mice treated with a high-fat diet.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Eighteen male mice were divided into three groups and fed for 60 d with a standard diet (ST), high-fat diet (HFD), or high-fat diet plus resveratrol (HFD + RSV, 30 mg/kg/d). Body weight, food intake, and serum total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, insulin, alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were evaluated. Liver histology was analyzed. Expression of ACC, PPAR-γ, ChREBP, SREBP-1 c, CPT-1, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), NF-κB, interleukin 1 β (IL-1 β), and SIRT1 were evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS: The major finding of the present study was that RSV reduced body fat, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, transaminases, and insulin plasma level. These results were accompanied with a significant reduction in TNF-α, IL-6, and NF-κB mRNA expression in the liver. Analyses of liver adipogenesis related genes indicated that ACC, PPAR-γ, and SREBP-1 mRNA expression were significantly suppressed in HFD + RSV mice. In addition, we observed increased expression of SIRT1 in the HFD + RSV group.

CONCLUSIONS: We observed that treatment with resveratrol improved lipid metabolism, and decreased NAFLD and pro-inflammatory profile in liver of mice with obesity-inducible diets. These data suggest an important clinical application of RSV in preventing liver diseases.