Insulin resistance (IR) and lipotoxicity were evidenced as the major nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) initiators. However, absence of the effective treatment against NASH progression raised our aim to discover a new promising insulin modulator and NSH preventer.
Our study aimed to extract and prepare a nitriles rich fraction (NRF) from Diceratella elliptica (DC.) Jonsell, investigate its insulin-sensitizing & anti-NASH potentialities and address its molecular targets in IR-NASH pathogenesis.
NRF was prepared using natural autolysis method and compounds were identified. Then, seventy male Wistar rats were feed high fat diet (HFD) or normal pellets for 35 days. In day 14th, HFD rats were injected by Streptozotocin (STZ) once and treatment was started in day 21st with either NRF (30, 60 and 120 mg/kg; orally) or pioglitazone (PioG) (10 mg/kg; i.p) beside HFD. While, NRF-alone rats were treated with NRF (120 mg/kg; orally) beside the normal pellets. Body weight, glucose homeostasis, hepatopathological examinations were performed.
Gas liquid chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GLC/MS) was used for compounds’ identification while spectrophotometer was used for total glucosinolates (GLS) quantification. Also, the biochemical and molecular investigations concerned with liver lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin signaling pathway were investigated and confirmed with the computational prediction of the major compounds’ targets.
Butenyl and benzyl GLS were the major along with other volatile compounds. NRF had significantly increased the insulin sensitivity and improved NASH-hisptopathology showing hepatoprotective effect. While, the fraction’s anti-NASH potentiality was evidenced in the normalized hepatic steatosis markers, inflammation and oxidative stress key transcriptional factors resulting in induction of insulin receptor substrates (IRSs) phosphorylation and its downstream effectors.
NRF has reversed IR, stimulated leptin secretion and prevented NASH initiation showing promising anti-NASH and anti-fibrotic effects.
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Modulation of IR as a therapeutic target to prevent NASH using NRF from Diceratella elliptica (DC.) jonsell. Strong Nrf2 and leptin inducer as well as NF-kB inhibitor.
