Hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of a standardized pomegranate ( <i>Punica granatum</i> ) fruit extract in high fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice

Abstract

Diets rich in fats are linked to elevated systemic inflammation, which augments the progression of inflammatory-related disorders including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and neurodegenerative diseases. A phenolic-enriched pomegranate fruit extract (PE) was investigated for its hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in male C57BL/6 mice fed either a high-fat diet or a standard rodent diet with or without 1% of PE for 12 weeks. Mouse livers and hippocampi were evaluated for the expression of genes associated with NAFLD and inflammation by multiplexed gene analysis. PE alleviated diet-induced fatty liver and suppressed hepatic lipid regulating genes including <i>Cd36</i>, <i>Fas</i>, <i>Acot2</i> and <i>Slc27a1</i>. In addition, PE suppressed gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including <i>Il-1α</i>, <i>Il-7</i>, <i>Il-11</i>, <i>Ifnα</i>, <i>Tnfα</i> and <i>Lepr</i> in the hippocampi. Our findings support the protective effects of PE against high-fat diet-induced hepatic and neurological disease.