YNCRG Alleviated Hepatic Steatosis in Metabolic Syndrome Model Rats by Improving Lipid Metabolism and Chronic Inflammatory Reaction

YNCRG is a combination of five traditional Chinese ingredients with medicinal properties. We studied its effects and mechanism of action on a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver with metabolic syndrome. Eight-week-old male SHRcp rat(s) and Wister Kyoto (WKY) rats were adaptively fed for one week, after which they were randomly divided into three groups, including the control group (n = 9), the YNCRG group (n = 8), and the WKY group (n = 8). The WKY group could freely consume water, the control group was provided water every day, and the YNCRG group was gavaged with an aqueous solution of YNCRG (3.6 g/kg body weight/day) for eight weeks. After eight weeks of intervention, YNCRG effectively reduced the weight of rats and significantly reduced the serum levels of AST, ALT, CHO, and TG compared to the weight of the rats in the control group. The RT-PCR results showed that mRNA levels of NF-κB, TLR4, TNF-α, and IL-1β increased, and the levels of MCP-1 and ICAM-1 also increased, but YNCRG effectively reduced the mRNA levels. The results of the Western blotting assay showed that YNCRG did not affect the AMPK/ACC signaling pathway, but it strongly promoted the phosphorylation of PKA, ERK, and C/EBPβ in rat livers. YNCRG also significantly promoted the phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Tyr465) but inhibited IRS-1 (Ser1101); both are upstream factors of ERK. We found that YNCRG can reduce the accumulation of lipids in the liver of rats with metabolic syndrome, probably by affecting lipid metabolism and the signaling pathway associated with inflammatory reactions.