Preventive Effects of Flavonoid Extracts from Ilex hainanensis Merr. on Rats with Hepatic Steatosis Induced by a High‐Fat Diet

Strategy, Management and Health Policy Preclinical Research Ilex hainanensis Merr. leaves are widely used for their diuretic, antihypertensive, antilipemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. The main chemical components in these leaves are flavonoids. To evaluate whether the total extract (TE) from I. hainanensis Merr. may improve hepatic steatosis and further investigate the preventive effects of the total flavonoid extract (TFE) from I. hainanensis Merr. on hepatic steatosis, rats were given either a high-fat diet alone or the same diet plus the TE or the TFE for 4 weeks. TE and TFE improved liver histology with a reduction in the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase and the serum aspartate aminotransferase as well as a decrease in excess accumulated lipids in the serum and liver. TE and TFE decreased the levels of fasting serum glucose, fasting serum insulin, insulin resistance index, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels in rats fed a high-fat diet while improving the insulin sensitivity index. These benefits were associated with an increase in superoxide dismutase activity and a decrease in malondialdehyde in the livers of rats fed a high-fat diet. In conclusion, TE and TFE exert protective effects against hepatic steatosis in rats that are fed a high-fat diet, possibly through its ability to regulate lipid metabolism and antioxidants, enhance insulin sensitivity, and improve the release of adipocytokines.