Cornus officinalis Extract Ameliorates Fructose-Induced Hepatic Steatosis in Mice by Sustaining the Homeostasis of Intestinal Microecology and Lipid Metabolism

Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. ( Cornus officinalis ), an edible natural plant fruit, has beneficial effects on a multitude of metabolic diseases, but the mechanism to improve hepatic steatosis remains elusive. In this study, the curative effect of Cornus officinalis extract (COE) is evaluated in a fructose-induced NAFLD mouse model using biochemical indicators monitoring, histological staining, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis, and fecal microbiota transplantation. Our results showed that COE attenuates hepatic steatosis in fructose-fed mice. Mechanistically, COE repairs intestinal barrier damage and gut flora dysbiosis to suppress proinflammatory microbe-derived metabolite transportation to the liver, thus inhibiting the hepatic inflammation and lipid metabolic dysfunction. Notably, transplantation of fecal microbiota isolated from the fructose-fed mice could reverse the beneficial effect of COE on attenuating NAFLD. Therefore, our study demonstrates that COE delays the progression of fructose-driven NAFLD by suppressing lipid metabolic dysfunction and gut microbiota-mediated liver inflammation, highlighting the potential of C. officinalis as a resource for the treatment of NAFLD drugs.