Lonidamine ameliorates MASH by reducing SREBP1 and inhibiting the MAPK pathway

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) has become a global epidemic, and effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Lonidamine (LND) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory effects; however, few studies have investigated whether LND exerts a therapeutic effect on MASH. Therefore, in this study, we aim to explore the effects of LND on inflammatory responses and abnormal lipid metabolism in MASH mice. A mouse MASH model is established by feeding C57BL/6 mice a high-fat, high-cholesterol (CL) diet. The results show that LND attenuates CL-induced increases in body weight, serum glucose and lipid levels, inflammatory responses, and hepatocellular steatosis. In addition, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway is inhibited, and the expression level of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) protein is significantly reduced. Meanwhile, in vitro models of cellular inflammation and lipid metabolism are simulated, and molecular docking and biolayer interferometry (BLI) analysis are used to verify that LND and SREBP1 have a direct interaction and that LND promotes the degradation of SREBP1. Furthermore, specific knockdown of Srebp1 in AML12 cells is performed to further verify the effect of LND on MASH. The results confirm that LND exerts anti-inflammatory effects in MASH by inhibiting the activity of the MAPK signaling pathway and improves abnormal lipid metabolism through its interaction with SREBP1. Overall, LND holds promise as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of MASH.