trans-sodium-crocetinate and Mitochondrial-Diseases

Traditional Chinese medicine considers that the etiology and pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are related to liver depression and qi stagnation. Saffron and its active ingredient, crocetin (CCT), are used for the treatment of metabolic diseases owing to their "Liver deobstruent" and "Liver tonic" effects. However, the effect of CCT on NAFLD has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, the effect and potential molecular mechanism of CCT were explored in both in vivo and in vitro models of NAFLD.. CCT was isolated from saffron and purity and structure characterization were performed using HPLC, MS,. The levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and alanine/aspartate aminotransferases (ALT/AST) activities in FFA treated L02 cells were significantly reduced after CCT treatment. CCT treatment significantly increased ATP concentration, ΔΨm, and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and cytochrome c oxidase (COX IV) in FFA treated L02 cells. TEM images showed restoration of mitochondrial morphology. CCT decreased ATP concentration and upregulated expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and COX IV, whereas, CCT downregulated expression of BCL2-Associated X (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3 in TAA treated zebrafish. These findings indicated that mitochondrial dysfunction was alleviated after CCT treatment. Oil Red O staining of L02 cells and zebrafish showed that CCT treatment reversed the accumulation of lipid droplets.. In summary, CCT treatment effectively alleviated the symptoms of NAFLD and restored mitochondrial function in L02 cells and zebrafish NAFLD model.

Topics: Animals; Carotenoids; Cell Survival; Gene Expression Regulation; Hepatocytes; Humans; Mitochondria, Liver; Mitochondrial Diseases; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Oxidative Stress; Phytotherapy; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; RNA, Messenger; Vitamin A; Zebrafish