Protocatechuic Acid Protects Mice Against Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Attenuating Oxidative Stress and Improving Lipid Profile.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a general term encompassing many conditions from simple fatty liver to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this research, we aimed to investigate the effect of the antioxidant protocatechuic acid (PCA) in preventing the development of fatty liver induced by high-fat diet (HFD) in male mice. Methods: Mice (NMRI) were randomly divided into five groups. The groups were as follows: the control received the standard diet, HFD received 20 ml/kg of HFD, HFD containing PCA received HFD containing 200 mg/kg/20 ml of PCA, HFD containing fenofibrate (FENO) received HFD containing 150 mg/kg/20 ml of FENO, and PCA received 200 mg/kg/20 ml of PCA alone for six weeks. Mice were anesthetized after overnight fasting on the 43rd day, and the blood sample was collected from their hearts. The levels of serum, antioxidants and pro-inflammatory factors were measured, and histological studies were performed. Results: The results showed that HFD containing PCA decreased liver enzymes, cholesterol (Chol), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and total thiol levels in the liver compared to the HFD group alone (P<0.001). The histopathological examinations of the liver tissue confirmed the biochemical results. High-fat diet (HFD) containing PCA showed no significant effect on the levels of triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The histopathological examinations of the liver tissue confirmed the biochemical results. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrated that PCA is reasonably effective in preventing NAFLD in mice.