Preventative effects of Platycodon grandiflorum treatment on hepatic steatosis in high fat diet-fed C57BL/6 mice.

Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) (Korean name, Doraji; Chinese name, Jiegeng; and Japanese name, Kikyo) is a perennial plant in the Campanulaceae family that contains triterpenoid saponins, carbohydrates, and fibers. This study was carried out to investigate effects of root of PG on fatty liver inhibition in high fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 mice were divided into control, total extract of PG (T-PG, 500 mg/kg) and saponin fraction (S-PG, 50 mg/kg)-treated groups. Significant decreases in body weight, associated with fat mass reduction, were observed in PG-treated groups (p<0.05). Hepatic lipid content and score index calculated from morphometric observations on fatty liver were significantly decreased in the PG-treated groups (p<0.05). Moreover, activities of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and carnitine palmitoyl-transferase (CPT) were significantly suppressed and increased as compared with the control group, respectively (p<0.05). mRNA expressions of the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP1c) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1) gene were suppressed in the T-PG and S-PG groups (p<0.05). From these findings, we speculate that fatty liver inhibition effects of PG extract and its saponins appear to be conferred by hepatic lipogenesis and acceleration of energy expenditure, along with modulation of liver FAS and CPT activities in HFD-fed C57BL/6 mice.