Sesamin ameliorates hepatic steatosis and inflammation in rats on a high-fat diet via LXRα and PPARα

Sesamin improved the blood lipid profile in a dose-dependent manner in Sprague-Dawley rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high-fat diet.

• High-fat diet rats accumulated total cholesterol and triacylglycerols in the liver, leading to inflammation indicated by elevated interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α.
• Sesamin reduced serum levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and free fatty acid while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
• The treatment enhanced the activities of liver antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and decreased malonaldehyde levels.
• Higher doses of sesamin lowered the expression of liver X receptor α and its target genes while increasing signaling through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α.
• These findings suggest that sesamin may mitigate dyslipidemia and inflammation associated with NAFLD through specific molecular pathways.

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