Liver Transcriptomics Reveals UB-NPs Regulate Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation Genes
This study utilized RNA-Seq to investigate hepatic gene expression changes in obese mice following intervention with UB-NPs, based on prior evidence indicating the liver as a primary site of UB metabolism. High-quality sequencing data (Q30 > 95.93%, alignment efficiency 90.69–97.47% to GRCm39) revealed 3,387 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between UB-NPs and high-fat diet (HFD) groups, including 687 overlapping DEGs with the HFD vs. normal diet comparison. Among these, 570 DEGs showed expression reversal patterns, indicating potential key targets of UB-NPs. Functional enrichment analyses (GO, Reactome, KEGG) demonstrated that UB-NPs significantly modulate genes involved in lipid and fatty acid metabolism, mitochondrial beta-oxidation, TCA cycle, inflammatory pathways (e.g., NF-kappa B), and PPAR signaling. UB-NPs upregulated fatty acid oxidation genes (e.g., Ppara, Ehhadh, Cyp4a14) and downregulated pro-inflammatory genes (e.g., Tnf, Traf1). These results suggest UB-NPs ameliorate obesity-related metabolic dysregulation by enhancing lipid catabolism and suppressing inflammation. Overall design: The study included both prevention and treatment investigations. 1. Prevention Study. After one week of acclimation, mice were randomly divided into six groups (n=10/group) and treated daily via oral gavage for 10 weeks: NC (Normal Control): Standard diet + equal volume of vehicle (water); MC (Model Control): High-fat diet (HFD) + equal volume of vehicle; UB (UB Prevention): HFD + 60 mg/kg/day UB-NPs. 2. Treatment Study. After acclimation, mice were divided into a normal-fat diet (NFD, n=10) group and a high-fat diet (HFD, n=70) group for 10 weeks. Successful obesity induction was confirmed by a significant 22.47% higher body weight in HFD mice compared to NFD controls (p < 0.05). The obese mice were then randomized into groups (n=10/group) and treated for 8 weeks: NFD: Standard diet + equal volume of water; HFD: Continued HFD + equal volume of water; Uro: Continued HFD + 60 mg/kg/day UB-NPs.