Mitochondria-targeted anti-oxidant AntiOxCIN4 improved liver steatosis in Western diet-fed mice by preventing lipid accumulation due to upregulation of fatty acid oxidation, quality control mechanism and antioxidant defense systems.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether AntiOxCIN4 could prevent the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) phenotype in mice fed a Western Diet (30% high-fat, 30% high-sucrose).
Results Summary
AntiOxCIN4 reduced body and liver weight, decreased fat liver accumulation, improved mitochondrial function, and enhanced antioxidant defenses in mice fed a Western Diet. It also prevented lipid accumulation-driven autophagic flux impairment and remodeled hepatic metabolism via the PGC-1α-SIRT3 axis.
Population
C57BL/6J mice and human HepG2 cells.
Effective Dosage
2.5 mg/day/animal (mice); 100 μM (HepG2 cells).
Duration
16 weeks (mice); 48 hours (HepG2 cells).
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | mitochondrial function | - | - | improved | #1 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | anti-oxidant defense systems | - | - | upregulated | #2 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | cellular quality control mechanisms (mitophagy/autophagy) | - | - | upregulated | #3 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | fatty acid-induced cell damage | - | - | preventing | #4 |
AntiOxCIN4 (2.5 mg/day/animal) | decrease | non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) phenotype development | C57BL/6J mice fed with 30% high-fat, 30% high-sucrose diet for 16 weeks | - | may prevent | #5 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | body weight | WD-fed mice | by 43% | decreased | #6 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | liver weight | WD-fed mice | by 39% | decreased | #7 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | plasma hepatocyte damage markers | WD-fed mice | - | decreased | #8 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | fat liver accumulation | WD-fed mice | by 600% | associated with a reduction of | #9 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | hepatic-related parameters | WD-fed mice | - | improved | #10 |
AntiOxCIN4 | neutral | fatty acyl chain composition | WD-fed mice | - | remodeling of | #11 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | lipid droplets size and number | human HepG2 cells | - | a reduction of | #12 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | fatty acid oxidation | human HepG2 cells | - | induced stimulation of | #13 |
AntiOxCIN4 | neutral | mitochondrial OXPHOS remodeling | human HepG2 cells | - | induced | #14 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | mitochondrial OXPHOS | WD-fed mice | - | induced a hepatic metabolism remodeling by upregulating | #15 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | anti-oxidant defense system | WD-fed mice | - | induced a hepatic metabolism remodeling by upregulating | #16 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | phospholipid membrane composition | WD-fed mice | - | induced a hepatic metabolism remodeling by upregulating | #17 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | lipid accumulation-driven autophagic flux impairment | WD-fed mice | - | prevented | #18 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | lysosomal proteolytic capacity | WD-fed mice | - | by increasing | #19 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | NAFL phenotype | WD-fed mice | - | improved | #20 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | mitochondrial function (fatty acid oxidation) | WD-fed mice | - | increase | #21 |
AntiOxCIN4 | increase | anti-oxidant defense system (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) | WD-fed mice | - | stimulation | #22 |
AntiOxCIN4 | decrease | autophagy | WD-fed mice | - | prevent the impairment in | #23 |
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a health concern affecting 24% of the population worldwide. Although the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying disease are not fully clarified, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are key players in disease progression. Consequently, efforts to develop more efficient pharmacologic strategies targeting mitochondria for NAFLD prevention/treatment are underway. The conjugation of caffeic acid anti-oxidant moiety with an alkyl linker and a triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP+), guided by structure-activity relationships, led to the development of a mitochondria-targeted anti-oxidant (AntiOxCIN4) with remarkable anti-oxidant properties. Recently, we described that AntiOxCIN4 improved mitochondrial function, upregulated anti-oxidant defense systems, and cellular quality control mechanisms (mitophagy/autophagy) via activation of the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway, preventing fatty acid-induced cell damage. Despite the data obtained, AntiOxCIN4 effects on cellular and mitochondrial energy metabolism in vivo were not studied. In the present work, we proposed that AntiOxCIN4 (2.5 mg/day/animal) may prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) phenotype development in a C57BL/6J mice fed with 30% high-fat, 30% high-sucrose diet for 16 weeks. HepG2 cells treated with AntiOxCIN4 (100 μM, 48 h) before the exposure to supraphysiologic free fatty acids (FFAs) (250 μM, 24 h) were used for complementary studies. AntiOxCIN4 decreased body (by 43%), liver weight (by 39%), and plasma hepatocyte damage markers in WD-fed mice. Hepatic-related parameters associated with a reduction of fat liver accumulation (by 600%) and the remodeling of fatty acyl chain composition compared with the WD-fed group were improved. Data from human HepG2 cells confirmed that a reduction of lipid droplets size and number can be a result from AntiOxCIN4-induced stimulation of fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial OXPHOS remodeling. In WD-fed mice, AntiOxCIN4 also induced a hepatic metabolism remodeling by upregulating mitochondrial OXPHOS, anti-oxidant defense system and phospholipid membrane composition, which is mediated by the PGC-1α-SIRT3 axis. AntiOxCIN4 prevented lipid accumulation-driven autophagic flux impairment, by increasing lysosomal proteolytic capacity. AntiOxCIN4 improved NAFL phenotype of WD-fed mice, via three main mechanisms: a) increase mitochondrial function (fatty acid oxidation); b) stimulation anti-oxidant defense system (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) and; c) prevent the impairment in autophagy. Together, the findings support the potential use of AntiOxCIN4 in the prevention/treatment of NAFLD.