Hovenia dulcis Extract Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Hepatic Lipid Accumulation and Hypertriglyceridemia in C57BL/6 Mice

The effects of dietary supplementation with aqueous Hovenia dulcis Thunb. extract (HDE) (20 weeks) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia were evaluated in mice. Supplementation with 200 and 800 mg/kg feed HDE (HDE200 and HDE800, respectively) resulted in no significant difference in growth in the HFD-fed groups. The triglyceride (TG) levels and free fatty acids were significantly decreased, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was increased in the HDE800 group (P < .05). The hepatic intracellular TGs were significantly decreased in the HDE-fed groups and lipogenic enzymes (acetyl CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, stearoyl CoA desaturase, and diacylglycerol transferase) in the liver were significantly downregulated by HDE supplementation (P < .05). The diminished serum antioxidant enzyme activities in the HFD group were effectively restored by HDE supplementation, which also contributed to the attenuation of hyperlipidemia.