Penthorum chinense Pursh extract ameliorates hepatic steatosis by suppressing pyroptosis via the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway

The primary catalyst for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is widely recognized as the induction of lipotoxicity in hepatocytes by an excess of fatty acids. In China, Penthorum chinense Pursh (PcP) is commonly employed as a functional food due to its known hepatoprotective properties. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of PcP extract on in vivo and in vitro models of NAFLD. We found that PcP extract can attenuate palmitic acid (PA)-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells. PA was observed to trigger pyroptosis, as indicated by the increased expression of NLRP3 and GSDMD/N, activation of Caspase-1, and subsequent release of IL-1 beta and IL-18. However, these changes were reversed after PcP was administered. Furthermore, the application of an NLRP3 agonist inhibited the protective effects of PcP on lipotoxicity, indicating that PcP decreased lipotoxicity by inhibiting the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway. Ultimately, we established a rat model of NAFLD through the administration of a high-fat diet (HFD), followed by the oral delivery of PcP extracts. The results demonstrated that the administration of PcP extract effectively decreased dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis, which coincided with a decrease in hepatic pyroptosis through modulation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway in liver tissues. Overall, our findings provide insight into the mechanism by which PcP extracts alleviate hepatic steatosis, highlighting the potential significance of modulating the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway in the context of pyroptosis.