ArticleAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Complex I Modulator BI4500 Reduces MASH by Limiting Oxidative Stress and Reprogramming Lipid Metabolism via AMPK in MCD Rats.
Article in Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Liver-brain Axis: A Three-stage Model Linking MASLD to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2026Review
- Liquiritin restores metabolic homeostasis in NAFLD by modulating AKT1/FOXO1 signaling.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang protects against methionine- and choline-deficient diet-induced hepatic steatosis in rats and is associated with inhibition of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and pyroptosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMetabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a multifactorial liver disease in which mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation play key roles in driving the progression toward metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dysfunctional mitochondria generate excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), impair antioxidant defenses, activate pro-inflammatory pathways and hepatic stellate cells, and perpetuate liver injury. Mitochondrial Complex I is a major ROS source, particularly under conditions of dysregulated energy metabolism. Since Complex I inhibition by metformin was shown to reduce ROS and activate the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), this study aimed to evaluate whether a novel Complex I Modulator (CIM, BI4500) could attenuate oxidative stress, inflammation, and consequently reduce lipid accumulation and fibrosis in a methionine- and choline-deficient diet (MCD)-fed rat model of MASH.
methodsRats were fed an MCD or an isocaloric control diet for six weeks. From week four, animals received daily oral treatment with CIM (10 mg/kg) or vehicle (Natrosol). At the endpoint, liver tissue was collected for histological, biochemical, and molecular analyses. Lipid droplet area, inflammatory infiltration, and collagen deposition were evaluated on tissue sections; total lipid content and oxidative stress markers were assessed in homogenates and isolated mitochondria. Molecular pathways related to oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, and fibrosis were assessed at protein and mRNA levels.
resultsCIM treatment significantly reduced oxidative stress (ROS, lipid peroxidation, nitrogen species), promoting AMPK activation and metabolic reprogramming. This included increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) and its target genes, and decreased sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c)-driven lipogenesis. These changes halted fibrosis progression, as confirmed by Picro-Sirius Red staining and fibrosis markers.
conclusionsthese findings indicate that Complex I modulation may represent a promising strategy to counteract MASLD progression toward MASH.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.