Hawthorn fruit extracts alleviate high-fat diet-induced NAFLD.

Hawthorn fruit extracts alleviate high-fat diet-induced NAFLD by inhibiting ERK and regulating hepatic purine metabolism.

Yun-fen Zhou, Jianming Qiu, Shiow-Lin Pan, Mingfu Wang, Yanling Wang, Rujun Xu, Ying-Nien Chen, X J Liu, Junjie Zhao, Tianmin Xu

Food Funct

Mar 9, 2026

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Abstract

Intrahepatic fat accumulation is a characteristic feature of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic metabolic liver disorder. Hawthorn fruit is a common fruit in East Asia with fat-reducing properties, although its active components and mechanisms of action are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to utilize 70% ethanol for the extraction of hawthorn fruit and to investigate the mechanism and therapeutic impact of hawthorn fruit extracts (HFE) in the treatment of NAFLD. A 12-week high-fat diet was used to establish an NAFLD mouse model, and oleate/palmitate-induced HepG2 cells were used to create an NAFLD cell model. Mass spectrometry was employed to characterize HFE constituents and metabolic profiling of the liver. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to identify potential targets of HFE for the treatment of NAFLD and to analyze the possible interactions between HFE compounds and targets. A total of 17 primary compounds were identified in HFE. HFE significantly inhibited lipid accumulation in hepatic cells bothand, and mitigated liver damage. Hepatic metabolomics indicated that HFE notably improved metabolic disorders in NAFLD mice, particularly in the purine metabolism pathway. Integrative analysis combining network pharmacology, molecular docking, and western blotting demonstrated that HFE primarily targets ERK and effectively suppresses its hyperactivation. Quercetin and rutin, present in HFE, emerged as potential key components, exerting effects through direct binding with ERK1/2. In conclusion, this study found that HFE alleviated NAFLD by inhibiting ERK and regulating hepatic purine metabolism.