Lycium ruthenicum Murr anthocyanins ameliorate metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease via regulation of antioxidation, inflammatory and lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become a global health issue and threat to public health, while a widely approved therapy is still lacking to date. Previous studies suggested anthocyanins played a significant role in the improvement of MASLD. The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of Lycium ruthenicum Murr (LRM) anthocyanins for the improvement of MASLD and explore the underlying molecular mechanism through HFD-induced MASLD mice and OA-stimulated lipid accumulation model. The results indicated that the intervention of LRM anthocyanin ameliorated the gain in body weight, liver weight and index, and improved liver appearance, hepatic steatosis and mitochondrial injury of MASLD mice. The biochemical parameter levels related to liver function, lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammation were also prominently ameliorated in MASLD mouse serum and HepG2 cells. Liver lipidomics research found that LRM anthocyanin significantly modified lipid metabolism spectrum induced by HFD, consisting of alteration of triglyceride (TG), N-acyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LNAPE), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Moreover, the underlying mechanism was elucidated through the regulation of protein expression related to lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses, mediated by the AMPK/Nrf2/NF-κB signaling pathway. Overall, our study confirmed the protective effects of LRM anthocyanin against MASLD and provided certain suggestions in the development of functional foods containing these compounds.