Objective To investigate the regulatory effect of ferulic acid on hepatic steatosis and intestinal flora in hyperlipidemia mice.
Methods Twenty-four 6-week-old male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=6), namely control group, model group, ferulic acid group [40 mg/(kg.d)] and simvastatin group. [5mg/(kg.d)], and another 6 C57BL/6 mice of the same age were selected as blank group. After 12 weeks of high-fat feeding, the mice were treated for another 12 weeks, and the feces of the mice were collected for intestinal flora detection, blood lipid levels were detected, and liver slices were made to observe pathological changes.
Results Compared with the control group, the body weight, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein of the mice in the model group were significantly increased (P<0.05). Hepatocytes showed steatosis, and the numbers of Firmicutes and Veillonella in the model group were increased, while the numbers of Bacteroidetes, Ruminobacteriaceae and Bacteroidetes were decreased. Compared with the model group, the body weight, serum TC, TG and LDL-C were significantly reduced, and hepatic steatosis was significantly alleviated.
Conclusion Ferulic acid can improve dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis and regulate intestinal flora imbalance in mice.