Effect of Quzhi Ruangan decoction on the mRNA and protein expression of organic anion transporting polypeptide 2B1 in the small intestine of rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Quzhi Ruangan decoction on the mRNA and protein expression of organic anion transporting polypeptide 2B1 (OATP2B1) in the small intestine of rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MethodsAfter 1 week of adaptive feeding, 36 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, simvastatin group, and high-, middle-, and low-dose Quzhi Ruangan decoction groups, with 6 rats in each group. Liver tissue was collected and HE staining was used to observe hepatic steatosis; an automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose (GLU), and cholesterol (CHOL); RT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of OATP2B1 in the small intestine of rats. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. Results There were significant differences in liver index, GLU, and CHOL between groups (F=10.814, 12.298, and 5.024, all P＜0.05), and there were also significant differences in the mRNA and protein expression of OATP2B1 in the small intestine (F=13.384 and 73.025, both P＜0.05). Compared with the normal group, the model group had significant increases in the mRNA and protein expression of OATP2B1 (both P＜0.05); compared with the model group, the simvastatin group and the high- and middle-dose Quzhi Ruangan groups had a significant reduction in the mRNA expression of OATP2B1 (all P＜0.05); compared with the simvastatin group, the middle- and low-dose Quzhi Ruangan groups had a significant reduction in the mRNA expression of OATP2B1 (both P＜0.05). Compared with the normal group, the model group had a significant increase in the protein expression of OATP2B1 (P＜0.05); compared with the model group, all treatment groups had a significant reduction in the protein expression of OATP2B1 (all P＜0.001); compared with the simvastatin group, the high-, middle-, and low-dose Quzhi Ruangan groups had a significant reduction in the protein expression of OATP2B1 (all P＜0.05). ConclusionQuzhi Ruangan decoction may alleviate the pathological changes of NAFLD by reducing the overexpression of OATP2B1.