Transcriptome changes in C57BL/6 mice after a high-fat diet

Background and aims: Trichosanthis Pericarpium injection (TPI) produces a significant effect on regulating lipid metabolism and antioxidation, whose effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) still remain unclear. In this study, we delved into the pharmacological functions of TPI on NAFLD and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: NAFLD mice model was induced by administering a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks, followed by intraperitoneal injection of TPI for 4 weeks. Concurrently, to explore the potential mechanisms, we utilized AML12 cells exposed to oleic acid (OA) as an in vitro model. Non target metabolomics and transcriptomics were used to explore the mechanism by which TPI improves lipid metabolism in mouse liver. Results: Our findings indicate that TPI significantly improved metabolic abnormalities and hepatic fat deposition in HFD mice. TPI treatment also yielded analogous results in AML12 cells treated with OA. Metabolomic analysis revealed alterations in metabolites in NAFLD mice, with ABC transporters exhibiting the most prominent changes. Further screening of gene changes related to this pathway showed a significant increase in ABCC5 expression in the NAFLD mice, while TPI treatment effectively reduced the expression level of ABCC5. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated a marked increase in the expression of the transcription factor KLF6 in the NAFLD group, which positively correlated with ABCC5 expression. Further luciferase reporter gene experiments confirmed that KLF6 can directly regulate the expression of ABCC5, thereby affecting lipid metabolism and participating in the development of NAFLD. Notably, TPI treatment was able to reverse this process. Conclusions: In conclusion, TPI improves NAFLD by alleviating hepatic lipid metabolism dysregulation through the KLF6/ABCC5 pathway.