Lemon Balm and Its Constituent, Rosmarinic Acid, Alleviate Liver Damage in an Animal Model of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

ABSTRACT: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) ranges in severity from hepatic steatosis to cirrhosis. Lemon balm and its major constituent, rosmarinic acid (RA), effectively improve the liver injury and obesity; however, their therapeutic effects on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of RA and a lemon balm extract (LBE) on NAFLD and liver fibrosis and elucidated their mechanisms. Palmitic acid (PA)-exposed HepG2 cells and db/db mice fed a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet were utilized to exhibit symptoms of human NASH. LBE and RA treatments alleviated the oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant enzymes and modulated lipid metabolism-related gene expression by the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinas

SUBMITTER: Kim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7230626 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature