title: Houttuynia cordata alleviates high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver in experimental rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae) is used traditionally in Asian countries to treat various disease symptoms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of H. cordata ethyl acetate (HC-EA) extract on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  HFD fed rats were orally dosed with HC-EA (100, 200, or 300 mg/kg) once daily for 8 weeks and the lipid profiles and protein expressions in hepatocytes were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HFD rats showed an increase (p < 0.05) in the plasma lipid levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), free fatty acids (FFAs), and reduced the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Treatment with HC-EA extract (300 mg/kg) restored the changes in plasma lipid levels of TC, TG, LDL, FFA, and HDL in HFD-fed rats by 34.8, 31.1, 51.4, 32.4, and 56.3%, respectively, compared with control rats (p < 0.01). HC-EA treatment also decreased the hepatic lipid accumulation (p < 0.001 at 300 mg/kg) and improved hepatic histological lesions. HC-EA extract enhanced AMPK phosphorylation and its primary downstream targeting enzyme, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), up-regulated the gene expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1), and down-regulated sterol regulatory element binding protein 1, fatty acid synthase, and glutamate pyruvate transaminase protein levels in the livers of HFD-fed rats. Further, the increased expression of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) composition such as CYP2E1 and CYP4A was also suppressed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data suggest that HC-EA extract might act by regulating the AMPK-dependent pathway and related mediators and might be used in treating obesity-related liver diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Dankook University , Chungnam , Republic of Korea and.
authors.forename: Hyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sushruta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koppula
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D052859:Houttuynia; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C442781:Houttuynia cordata extract
keywords: AMP-activated protein kinase; Saururaceae; obesity; steatohepatitis