Molecular Mechanism of Vine Tea Dihydromyricetin Extract on Alleviating Glucolipid Metabolism Disorder in db/db Mice: Based on Liver RNA-Seq and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway

The primary active compound in vine tea is dihydromyricetin (DMY), which has a longstanding history as a dietary supplement and traditional ethnic medicine. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which vine tea dihydromyricetin extract (VDMY) regulates glucolipid metabolic disorder remains unclear. In this study, we first assessed the effect of VDMY on various physiological parameters in <i>db/db</i> mice, followed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify key signaling pathways affected by VDMY in liver tissues. We also examined the impact of VDMY on the liver's TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and FOXO1 pathways using Western blotting. Our results showed that VDMY significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Additionally, VDMY enhanced the liver's antioxidant capacity by upregulating superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH), while lowering malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), thus alleviating liver damage. RNA-seq analysis further revealed that VDMY influenced multiple biological processes, including transcription, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and redox reactions, suggesting that its effects may be mediated through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and FOXO1 pathways. Additionally, Western blot analysis revealed that VDMY effectively downregulated the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, and FOXO1 proteins in the liver of <i>db/db</i> mice, indicating that VDMY could target these pathways to intervene glucolipid metabolism dysfunction.