Morinda citrifolia Extract Prevents Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Improving Gut Health
Publication: Journal of Medicinal Food
Volume 25, Issue Number 12
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major chronic liver disease. Chronic alcohol consumption induces dysbiosis, disruption of gut barrier function, oxidative stress, inflammation, and changes in lipid metabolism, thereby leading to ALD. In this study, we investigated whether the commercial Morinda citrifolia extract Nonitri can ameliorate ALD symptoms through the gut–liver axis. We used mice chronically administered EtOH and found a marked increase in serum endotoxin levels and biomarkers of liver pathology. Moreover, the EtOH-treated group showed significantly altered gut microbial composition particularly that of Alistipes, Bacteroides, and Muribaculum and disrupted gut barrier function. However, Nonitri improved serum parameters, restored the microbial proportions, and regulated levels of zonula occludens1, occludin, and claudin1. Furthermore, Nonitri suppressed inflammation by inhibiting endotoxin-triggered toll-like receptor 4-signaling pathway and fat deposition by reducing lipogenesis through activating AMP-activated protein kinase in the liver. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis showed that gut microbiota and ALD-related markers were correlated, and Nonitri regulated these bacteria. Taken together, our results indicate that the hepatoprotective effect of Nonitri reduces endotoxin levels by improving gut health, and inhibits fat deposition by regulating lipid metabolism.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In

Journal of Medicinal Food
Volume 25 • Issue Number 12 • December 2022
Pages: 1102 - 1111
PubMed: 36516056
Copyright
Copyright 2022, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition.
History
Published online: 12 December 2022
Published in print: December 2022
Accepted: 12 October 2022
Received: 2 May 2022
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Authors
Authors' Contributions
H.-Y.P. designed the research; M.H.D. and M.P. analyzed data; M.H.D., E.L., H.H.L.L., M.-J.O., and M.K. performed the experiments; M.H.D. and H.-Y.P. wrote the article.
Author Disclosure Statement
No competing financial interests exist.
Funding Information
This work was supported by the Technology Development Program (Grant No. S2954137) funded by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Republic of Korea). This research was also supported by the Main Research Program (Grant No. E0210602-02) of the Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
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