New insights into the hepato-protective effects of ferulic acid based on transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling

Ferulic acid (FA) is a natural phenolic acid with a strong protective effect against disorder of hepatic lipid metabolism. To elucidate the effect of FA on metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), the physiological parameters of mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) with or without FA were examined, and the liver transcriptome and metabolome were evaluated. FA significantly inhibited increases in liver weight and decreased the serum triglyceride levels and prevented HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. Omic data showed that FA might reduce the deposition of carnitine C16:1 to alleviate HFD-induced liver damage by reducing the expression of SOCS3 in vivo. Oleic acid induced steatosis in Hepa1-6 cells was used to verify the hepatoprotective effect of FA in vitro. Treatment with FA suppressed cellular lipid droplet deposition and decreased the expression of SOCS3 and adipogenesis markers. This work indicates the potential of FA as a novel drug for the alleviation of hepatic steatosis.