Integrating larval zebrafish model and network pharmacology for screening and identification of edible herbs with therapeutic potential for MAFLD: A promising drug Smilax glabra Roxb.

作者：Yinjuan Xiong, Xixuan Huang, Yuxin Li, Yukang Nie, Haodong Yu, Yaqi Shi, Jiajie Xue, Zhehui Ji, Keming Rong, Xuezhen Zhang · 发表于：Food Chemistry · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141470 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment、Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies、Chromatography in Natural Products

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is becoming a prevalent chronic liver disease. Many medicinal and edible herbs exhibit remarkable biological activities in ameliorating MAFLD but lack a comprehensive assessment of their therapeutic efficacy. This study determined total phenolic and flavonoid contents and in vitro antioxidant properties of 34 edible herbs. Smilax glabra Roxb. (SGR), Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt., and Smilax china L. were obtained with the best bioactivity and antioxidant capacity. The high-cholesterol diet-induced larval zebrafish model was established to compare the anti-MAFLD activity of the three herb extracts mentioned above. In vivo experiments revealed that SGR intervention significantly decreased lipid accumulation, alleviated oxidative stress, and modulated intestinal microbiota composition in zebrafish. Furthermore, three potential active components in SGR and their possible mechanisms were explored through network pharmacology and molecular docking. Our study suggested that SGR is a potential candidate for developing new drugs or dietary supplements for MAFLD therapy.