Isoliquiritigenin-mediated miR-23a-3p inhibition activates PGC-1α to alleviate alcoholic liver injury

•ISL regulates the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, ROS production, and inflammatory response by activating PGC-1α•Bioinformatics and luciferase assay analysis confirmed that miR-23a-3p might bind to PGC-1α mRNA in ALD•The miR-23a-3p inhibitor promoted lipid metabolism in ALD via PGC-1α activation.•ISL protects against ALD through miR-23a-3p/PGC-1α axis dose-dependently, which promotes lipid metabolism.