Extract of Schisandra chinensis fruit protects against metabolic dysfunction in high-fat diet induced obese mice via FXR activation.

Schisandra chinensisfruit has been shown to restore carbohydrate- and lipid-metabolic disorders and has anti-hepatotoxicity and anti-hepatitis activities. However, the molecular targets mediating the pharmacological properties ofS.chinensisfruit have not been clarified. Here, we assayed the effects ofS.chinensisfruit ethanol extract (SCE) on farnesoid X receptor (FXR) transactivity. The pharmacological effects of SCE (1 g/100 g diet) were assessed in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6 mice and ob/ob mice. The FXR and Fgf15 signalling pathways were evaluated by FXR silencing, ELISA, Western blot and RT-PCR analyses. The results showed that SCE treatment increased FXR transcription activity and improved obesity, hypercholesteremia and fatty liver in HFD-fed mice, while it had limited effects on ob/ob mice. Our study suggests that SCE treatment may improve HFD-induced metabolic disorders through pharmacological activation of FXR/Fgf15 signalling, and such beneficial effects of SCE may require leptin participation.