THE ROLE OF PEROXISOME PROLIFERATION RECEPTORS PPARΑ IN THE LIPID-LOWERING EFFECT OF BETULIN IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE IN RATS

Background. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a significant biomedical challenge. The triterpenoid botulin is one of promising therapeutic agents for NAFLD treatment. It is hypothesized that betulin exerts its lipid-lowering effects through the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), specifically PPARα. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the role of PPARα in mediating the lipid-lowering effects of betulin in a rat model of NAFLD. Materials and methods. The study was performed on Wistar rats utilizing contemporary biochemical and molecular biological techniques. Results. Administration of betulin (100 mg/kg/day for 28 days) to rats with NAFLD resulted in significant hepatoprotective and lipid-lowering effects. Betulin prevented the development of hepatomegaly and normalized the lipid profiles in both the blood serum and liver of NAFLD rats by increasing PPARα expression levels in the liver tissue. The administration of the PPARα antagonist GW6471 to betulin-treated NAFLD-rats reduced the betulin-induced increase in PPARα expression and inhibited hypolipidemic effect of betulin. Conclusion. The lipid-lowering effect of betulin in NAFLD is attributed to the increased expression levels of PPARα in the liver.