Ferulic acid ameliorates intrahepatic triglyceride accumulation in vitro but not in high fat diet-fed C57BL/6 mice.

Phenolic acids can improve obesity-related and metabolic syndrome-related conditions including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, the effects of ferulic acid (FA) on the metabolic changes related to NAFLD were investigated in oleic acid (OA)-treated HepG2 cells and C57BL/6 mice fed a high fat diet (HFD). In vitro, FA (25 and 50 μg/mL) treatment significantly reduced cellular lipid accumulation with no obvious cytotoxicity, in-part mediated by the suppression of ERK1/2, JNK1/2/3, and HGMB1 expression. However, in vivo administration of FA (20 mg/kg bw·day) for 17 weeks led to no obvious effects on body weight and liver weight gain, blood lipid profiles, or histological abnormalities in obese C57BL/6 mice induced by HFD. Taken together, the positive effects of FA on the reduction of hepatic triglyceride accumulation were therefore demonstrated in cellular model, while its hepatic protective effects might need to be further explored in rodent models and clinical trials.