Cornus officinalis Extract Ameliorates Fructose-Induced Hepatic Steatosis in Mice by Sustaining the Homeostasis of Intestinal Microecology and Lipid Metabolism

Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. (Cornus officinalis), an edible natural plant fruit, has beneficial effects on a multitude of metabolic diseases, but the mechanism to improve hepatic steatosis remains elusive. In this study, the curative effect of Cornus officinalis extract (COE) is evaluated in a fructose-induced NAFLD mouse model using biochemical indicators monitoring, histological staining, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis, and fecal microbiota transplantation. Our results showed that COE attenuates hepatic steatosis in fructose-fed mice. Mechanistically, COE repairs intestinal barrier damage and gut flora dysbiosis to suppress proinflammatory microbe-derived metabolite transportation to the liver, thus inhibiting the hepatic inflammation and lipid metabolic dysfunction. Notably, transplantation of fecal microbiota isolated from the fructose-fed mice could reverse the beneficial effect of COE on attenuating NAFLD. Therefore, our study demonstrates that COE delays the progression of fructose-driven NAFLD by suppressing lipid metabolic dysfunction and gut microbiota-mediated liver inflammation, highlighting the potential of C. officinalis as a resource for the treatment of NAFLD drugs.