[Effect of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes on SREBP-1c mRNA and protein expression in hepatic tissues of rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes on expression levels of Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA and SREBP-1c protein in hepatic tissue of rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


METHODS
Fifty-five SD rats were randomized into 5 groups: normal control group, model group, soothing liver group, invigorating spleen group and combination group. Except the normal group, the rats in model group and other treatment groups were fed with high-fat emulsion to induce NAFLD. The treatment groups were administered with respective traditional chinese medicine, the normal group and model group received correspondence volume distilled water. After treatment for 8 weeks, the rats were executed to obtain the liver for observing hepatic pathological changes. Expression levels of SREBP-1c mRNA and SREBP-1c protein in hepatic tissues were assayed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry respectively.


RESULTS
Compared with the normal group, the expression level of SREBP-1c mRNA and SREBP-1c protein in rat hepatic tissues of model group was significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group,the expression levels of SREBP-1c mRNA and SREBP-lc protein in the treated groups was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Specially, expression levels of SREBP-1c mRNA were the lowest in soothing liver group and invigorating spleen group and hepatic fatty changes were the slightest.


CONCLUSIONS
Soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes can inhibit hepatic SREBP-1c expression. That may be one of their therapeutic mechanisms.
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Xiu-min
XM
He
Qin-he
QH
Yang
Pei-fang
PF
Li
Zhong
Z
Chen
Gao-fei
GF
Feng
Wen-jing
WJ
Wang
Hai-tao
HT
Liu
Yu-pei
YP
Zhang
Gui-yuan
GY
Ji
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C497389:Srebf1 protein, rat; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1