DHA Protects Against Hepatic Steatosis by Activating Sirt1 in a High Fat Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Mouse Model

AIM: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22; n-3) shows beneficial effects on Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Deacetylase Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) was reported to increase energy metabolism and decrease lipogenesis. Here, we investigated whether DHA plays a role in protecting against hepatic steatosis via Sirt1. MAIN METHODS: Both in vivo and in vitro hepatic steatosis models were used: diet-induced obesity (DIO) model (middle-aged C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD)) and palmitic acid (PA)-induced lipid accumulation cell model (HepG2 cells). KEY FINDINGS: In DIO mice, treatment with DHA (gavage supplementation) for 8 weeks not only inhibited the lipid accumulation, but also increased fatty acids (FA) oxidation and induced triglyceride export in liver. These changes were accompanied by attenuation of inflammation. Moreover, DHA reversed the HFD-induced reduction of Sirt1 in liver. Interestingly, the beneficial effects of DHA were reversed by lentivirus-mediated Sirt1 knockdown, accompanied with increased expression of markers of lipogenesis, inflammation and reduced FA oxidation. In HepG2 cells, DHA prevented the accumulation of PA-induced lipid droplets, the decrease of FA oxidation and the reduction of Sirt1 level. Inhibition of Sirt1 by sirtinol partially reversed the beneficial effects of DHA on PA-treated cells. SIGNIFICANCE: DHA alleviated hepatic steatosis and reduced inflammation of liver in obese middle-aged mice by mechanisms involving Sirt1 activation.