Melatonin may reset liver’s daily rhythm and protective responses in fatty liver disease

Melatonin treatment (100 µM) improved the oscillatory patterns of clock genes in liver cells under circadian desynchrony.

• High-fat high fructose diet and jet lag are linked to disruptions in liver circadian clock genes and lipid metabolism.
• Melatonin administration corrected oscillations in specific clock genes (Clock and Bmal1) but had no effect on others (Cry, Nrf2, and HO-1).
• In C57BL/6J mice, melatonin treatment improved lipid regulatory gene profiles and liver function indicators (AST and ALT).
• Moderate improvements were observed in the oscillations of other clock genes (Per1, Per2, and Cry2) following melatonin treatment.
• Melatonin also influenced oscillations of antioxidant genes, contributing to the overall improvement in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Simplified