Sarcopoterium spinosum Extract for the Prevention and Management of NAFLD

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a comorbidity of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, which is gradually developed from hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis (NASH) and eventually even to fibrosis or hepatic carcinoma. Till now, there is no specific and effective treatment for NAFLD. Sarcopoterium spinosum extract (SSE) is a traditional medicine, found to improve insulin sensitivity. Recognizing the intimate link between insulin resistance and NAFLD, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectivity of SSE in the prevention and management of NAFLD at various severities; steatosis, the deterioration from steatosis to NASH, and advanced NASH.

Research design: SSE was given to high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice (steatosis model), or to mice given Western diet (WD) for short or long term (prevention or treatment of advanced NASH, respectively).

Results: SSE prevented the development of hepatic steatosis, as demonstrated by biochemical measurement of heptic triglyceride and blinded evaluation of liver histology. In addition, adipose tissue mass was reduced and adipose tissue inflammation was abolished. SSE also blocked the progression of the disease toward NASH in a dose-dependent manner, as demonstrated by reduced serum ALT and improved liver histology. In addition, SSE affected the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and antioxidant machinery in both models of steatosis and NASH development. However, SSE failed to reverse the hepatic damage in advanced model of NASH.

In summary, SSE might be considered as a botanical supplement for the prevention and treatment of hepatic steatosis, and for slowing the deterioration toward NASH.