Dietary Isoliquiritigenin at a Low Dose Ameliorates Insulin Resistance and NAFLD in Diet-Induced Obesity in C57BL/6J Mice.
Isoliquiritigenin (ILG) is a flavonoid constituent of Glycyrrhizae plants. The current study investigated the effects of ILG on diet-induced obesity and metabolic diseases. C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet (AIN-76 purified diet), high-fat diet (40 kcal% fat), and high-fat diet +0.02% (w/w) ILG for 16 weeks. Supplementation of ILG resulted in decreased body fat mass and plasma cholesterol level. ILG ameliorated hepatic steatosis by suppressing the expression of hepatic lipogenesis genes and hepatic triglyceride and fatty acid contents, while enhancing β-oxidation in the liver. ILG improved insulin resistance by lowering plasma glucose and insulin levels. This was also demonstrated by the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). Additionally, ILG upregulated the expression of insulin signaling-related genes in the liver and muscle. Interestingly, ILG elevated energy expenditure by increasing the expression of thermogenesis genes, which is linked to stimulated mitochondrial biogenesis and uncoupled cellular respiration in brown adipose tissue. ILG also suppressed proinflammatory cytokine levels in the plasma. These results suggest that ILG supplemented at 0.02% in the diet can ameliorate body fat mass, plasma cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and insulin resistance; these effects were partly mediated by increasing energy expenditure in high-fat fed mice.
['Lee|Youngmi|Y|', 'Kwon|Eun-Young|EY|', 'Choi|Myung-Sook|MS|']
D000818:Animals D047188:Chalcones D059305:Diet, High-Fat D019587:Dietary Supplements D004734:Energy Metabolism D007333:Insulin Resistance D008297:Male D051379:Mice D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease D009765:Obesity
isoliquiritigenin insulin resistance energy expenditure cytokine non-alcoholic fatty liver disease