The hepatoprotective effect of Lonicera japonica Flos on rats with high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Lonicerae Japonica Flos (LJF) is an edible-medicinal herb, rich in phenolic acids, flavonoids, iridoids and other bioactive ingredients, that has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antilipemic, and hepatoprotective effects. However, its effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of LJF on liver injury in rats with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD. The administration of LJF extract to rats with HFD-induced NAFLD significantly improved their body weight and daily food intake, liver tissue steatosis, lipid droplet vacuolization, and inflammatory cell infiltration. In addition, the LJF extract also improved to varying degrees the serum biochemical parameters, liver lipid content, levels of inflammatory factors, and oxidative stress markers. Among the treatment groups, the LJF high-dose group (LJF-H) showed the most significant improvement effect. Additionally, the correlation matrix heatmap visualization indicated that LJF may ameliorate NAFLD mainly by lowering liver lipid content and improving serum biochemical parameters.