Mitochondrial metabolomic profiling for elucidating the alleviating potential of Polygonatum kingianum against high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND: Developing mitochondrial regulators/nutrients from natural products to remedy mitochondrial dysfunction represent attractive strategies for therapy of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Polygonatum kingianum (PK) has been traditionally used in China as a medicinal and nutritional ingredient for centuries and can alleviate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD by promoting mitochondrial functions. To date, the underlying molecular mechanism of PK for treating mitochondrial dysfunctions and thus alleviating NAFLD remains unclear. AIM: To identify the molecular mechanism behind the mitochondrial regulatory action of PK against HFD-induced NAFLD in rats. METHODS: NAFLD model was induced in rats with HFD. The rats were intragastrically administered PK (4 g/kg per day) for 14 wk. Metabolites in hepatic mitochondrial samples were profiled through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry followed by multivariate statistical analysis to find the potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways. RESULTS: PK significantly restored the metabolites’ levels in the mitochondrial samples. Ten potential biomarkers were identified in the analyzed samples. These biomarkers are involved in riboflavin metabolism. CONCLUSION: PK can alleviate HFD-induced NAFLD by regulating the riboflavin metabolism and further improving the mitochondrial functions. Thus, PK is a promising mitochondrial regulator/nutrient for alleviating NAFLD-associated diseases.