Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 fractions ameliorate palmitic acid-induced hepatocyte ferroptosis by inhibiting SREBP1-CYP2E1 pathway

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is strongly associated with disturbances in the intestinal microbiota. Herein, the biological effects and mechanism of Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 fractions in regulating hepatocyte ferroptosis during MAFLD progression were investigated. To establish an in vitro model of MAFLD, LO2 cells were subjected to palmitic acid (PA). The mRNA and protein expressions were assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. LO2 cell proliferation was examined using 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays, whereas its apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. Furthermore, level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured using 2', 7,-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining. Additionally, the levels of Fe 2+ , malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH), as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were detected using corresponding kits. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to analyze the interaction between sterol-regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and cytochrome P450-2E1 (CYP2E1) promoter. Our results revealed that Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 fractions effectively ameliorated PA-induced hepatocyte injury, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis. However, these beneficial effects of BGN4 fractions on PA-induced hepatocyte were dramatically reversed by SREBP1 overexpression, suggesting that BGN4 attenuated MAFLD by acting on SREBP1. Moreover, we observed that BGN4 fractions inhibited CYP2E1 transcription by suppressing SREBP1 nuclear translocation. In addition, CYP2E1 overexpression eliminated the inhibitory effect of BGN4 fractions on PA-induced hepatocyte oxidative stress and ferroptosis. These findings collectively indicated that BGN4 fractions reduced CYP2E1 expression by inhibiting SREBP1 nuclear translocation, thereby suppressing hepatocyte oxidative stress and ferroptosis during the development of MAFLD.