Monascus vinegar protects against liver inflammation in high-fat-diet rat by alleviating intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and enteritis

•Monascus vinegar (MV) was considered an effective supplement to prevent chronic liver inflammation in high-fat diet-fed rat.•MV pre-treatment contributed to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis.•MV pre-treatment ameliorated liver inflammation by regulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B–nuclear factor-κB–mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade signaling pathway.