Licochalcone E improves insulin sensitivity in palmitic acid-treated HepG2 cells through inhibition of the NLRP3 signaling pathway

Our previous research demonstrated that compound licochalcone E can reduce glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in diabetic rats, although its mechanism remains unknown. Here, we used palmitic acid (PA) to establish a PA-treated HepG2 model, and then examined glucose uptake, glucose consumption, and blood lipids to evaluate the effects of licochalcone E within the safe dose range in the model. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of key genes associated with liver gluconeogenesis; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was deployed to evaluate the concentration of inflammatory factors; and laser confocal microscopy and western blot were used to determine the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway-related proteins, respectively. Finally, molecular simulations were exploited to validate the interaction between licochalcone E and the NLRP3 inflammasome. The results demonstrated that licochalcone E showed no toxicity in the dose range of 2.5-40 mu M. In this dose range, licochalcone E substantially increased the uptake and consumption of glucose in the insulin resistance model and dose-dependently reduced the concentration of total cholesterol. The PCR results indicated that licochalcone E dose-dependently reduced the expression of Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) genes and increased the expression of Glucose Transporter 4 (Glut4) in PA-treated HepG2. Moreover, the ELISA results revealed that licochalcone E significantly reduced the expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-18. Confocal microscopy results showed that licochalcone E dramatically reduced the generation of ROS and the expressions of NLRP3 and its downstream caspase-1 in PA-treated HepG2 model. Western blot results further indicated that licochalcone E significantly reduced the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 and IL-1 beta in the model. Additionally, molecular simulations demonstrated that licochalcone E has good binding affinity for the NLPR3 inflammasome. We concluded that licochalcone E has the potential to be used as an insulin sensitizer by reducing the release of ROS and inflammatory factors following inhibition of the NLPR3 signaling pathway.