Chokeberry attenuates the expression of genes related to de novo lipogenesis in the hepatocytes of mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterized by steatosis, is a major public health concern. Previous studies have shown that chokeberry has anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and antidiabetic effects. In this study, we hypothesized that chokeberry powder can attenuate the expression of genes related to de novo lipogenesis and the triglyceride levels in the hepatocytes of mice with high-fat diet–induced NAFLD. After coadministering chokeberry powder for 8 weeks (0.5% and 1% powder) with a high-fat diet, mice that consumed chokeberry powder diets, regardless of the dose, had significantly lower liver triglyceride levels than control mice that were fed a high-fat diet (P = .0145 and P < .0012, respectively). Compared with mice that were fed a high-fat diet, mice that were given 1% chokeberry powder exhibited significantly decreased mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (P = .009) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (P = .0032) in the liver. Compared with mice in the control group, fatty acid synthase (FAS) expression significantly increased in the mice that were fed a high-fat diet, but both chokeberry powder–treated groups had significantly decreased FAS expression (P = .0157 and P < .0001, respectively). The size of the fat droplets was decreased in the livers of the chokeberry-supplemented groups. In summary, the administration of chokeberry powder may help attenuate high-fat diet–induced NAFLD by regulating the expression levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and FAS and by decreasing the size of the fat droplets in the liver.