Oxymatrine Alleviates High-Fat-High-Fructose-Induced Fatty Liver in Rats: Understanding the Molecular Mechanism Through an Untargeted Metabonomics Study

Previous studies have shown that oxymatrine (OMT) can improve high-fat-high-fructose-diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and our study aimed to explore its possible metabolic potential mechanisms. Wistar rats were fed a high-fat-high-fructose diet for 8 weeks and treated with oxymatrine by gavage for the last 4 weeks. We measured biochemical indicators and pathological changes in each group and used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to analyze changes in metabolites in the serum and liver of the rats. The results showed that OMT can alleviate the high-fat-high-fructose-induced weight gain and hepatic lipid deposition in rats. Metabolomic analysis showed that the level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was downregulated and levels of desmosterol and d-galactose were upregulated in livers fed with HFDHFr. The levels of L-isoleucine, L-valine, arachidonic acid (AA), taurocholic acid (TCA), chenodeoxycholyltaurine (TDCA), isocitrate, and glutathione (GSH) were downregulated in the liver, whereas those of linoleic acid (LA), phosphocholine (PC), glycerophosphocholine (GPC), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were upregulated in the serum treated with OMT. In summary, OMT can improve HFDHFr-induced NAFLD, and metabolomic analysis can provide an early warning for the development of NAFLD as well as provide a rationale for therapeutic targets.