Polyphenol extract from greengage (Prunus mume) wine alleviates metabolic-associated fatty liver disease through PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and modulating gut homeostasis

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) currently lacks effective and safe therapeutic strategies. Polyphenols represent a promising nutritional intervention approach for MAFLD owing to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and lipid-regulating properties. Greengage ( Prunus mume ) wine is rich in polyphenolic compounds while the biological effects of its polyphenols on MAFLD remain unclear. In this study, polyphenols were extracted from fermented greengage wine and the protective effects of polyphenol extract (PE) on MAFLD were investigated. PE exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in vitro, and could ameliorate hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice and oleic acid sodium-treated HepG2 cells. Mechanistically, PE may alleviate lipid deposition by suppressing lipid synthesis and promoting fatty acid oxidation via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Additionally, PE could mitigate HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and restore colonic barrier function. These findings highlighted that greengage wine polyphenols may pose potential application values for the management of MAFLD .