Rheum palmatum L. Attenuates High Fat Diet-Induced Hepatosteatosis by Activating AMP-Activated Protein Kinase.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common metabolic disorder characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver. Rheum palmatumL. (RP) decoctions have been reported to ameliorate NAFLD. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of RP in fatty liver disease induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in rats. Low and high doses of aqueous RP extraction were orally administered to HFD-fed rats for six weeks. Body weight, tissue weight, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, hepatic morphology, and liver triglyceride (TG) content were assessed. The effects of RP on the expressions of lipogenic and lipolysis genes were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) was determined by Western blotting. Treatment with low-dose RP significantly reduced liver weight, liver TG content, and improved glucose tolerance in HFD-fed rats. Consistently, RP attenuated excess fat accumulation and downregulated the expression of lipogenic genes in the liver. Further, an increased phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC was observed. These findings suggest that low-dose RP alleviates hepatosteatosis, at least in part, by stimulating AMPK activity.