Sodium Butyrate Ameliorates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease through Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α‑Mediated Activation of β Oxidation and Suppression of Inflammation

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) plays a protective role against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Sodium butyrate (NaB) has been shown to alleviate NAFLD, yet whether and how PPARα is involved in the action of NaB remains elusive. In this study, NaB administration alleviated high-fat-diet-induced NAFLD in adult rats, with a decrease of hepatic triglyceride content from 108.18 ± 5.77 to 81.34 ± 7.94 μg/mg (p < 0.05), which was associated with a significant activation of PPARα. Nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell (NF-κB)-mediated nucleotide-binding domain-like receptor protein 3 signaling and pro-inflammatory cytokine release were diminished by NaB treatment. NaB-induced PPARα upregulation coincided with a reduced protein content of histone deacetylase 1 and promoted histone H3 acetyl K9 (H3K9Ac) modification on the promoter of PPARα, whereas NaB-induced suppression of inflammation was linked to significantly increased PPARα binding with p-p65. NaB acts as a histone deacetylase inhibitor to upregulate PPARα expression with enhanced H3K9Ac modification on it promoter. NaB-induced PPARα activation stimulates fatty acid β oxidation and inhibits NF-κB-mediated inflammation pathways via protein–protein interaction, thus contributing to amelioration of high-fat-diet-induced NAFLD in adult rats.