1. Academic Validation
  2. Amlodipine, an anti-hypertensive drug, alleviates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating gut microbiota

Amlodipine, an anti-hypertensive drug, alleviates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating gut microbiota

  • Br J Pharmacol. 2022 May;179(9):2054-2077. doi: 10.1111/bph.15768.
Yang Li 1 Danyang Zhao 1 Minyi Qian 1 Jun Liu 1 Chuyue Pan 1 Xinxin Zhang 1 Xubin Duan 1 Yufei Zhang 1 Wenxin Jia 1 Lirui Wang 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
  • 2 Institute of Modern Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Abstract

Background and purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a severe public health problem. It often coexists with hypertension in the context of metabolic syndrome. We investigated the effects of amlodipine on NAFLD combined with hypertension and investigated the underlying mechanism/s.

Experimental approach: Mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) and 0.05% N-nitro-L-arginine methylester sterile water to induce NAFLD with hypertension. Gut microbiota composition and function were assessed by 16S ribosomal DNA and metagenomic Sequencing. Untargeted metabolome profiles were applied to identify differential metabolites in mice caecum.

Key results: Amlodipine besylate and amlodipine aspartate significantly decreased liver injury and hepatic steatosis, and improved lipid metabolism with a concomitant reduction in the expression of lipogenic genes in mice with NAFLD and hypertension. Mechanistically, amlodipine besylate and amlodipine aspartate have potential to restore intestinal barrier integrity and improve antimicrobial defence, along with the elevated abundances of Akkermansia, Bacteroides and Lactobacillus. Noteworthily, the gut microbiota in amlodipine besylate- and amlodipine aspartate-treated mice had higher abundance of functional genes involved in taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. Consistently, the strengthened taurine and hypotaurine metabolism was confirmed by untargeted metabolome analysis. Based on the correlation and causal analysis, the altered gut microbiota composition and the enhancement of taurine and hypotaurine metabolism may synergistically decreased alanine aminotransferase, liver triglycerides, lipogenic genes and plasma Cholesterol in HFD-fed hypertensive mice.

Conclusion and implications: Amlodipine besylate and amlodipine aspartate exert multifactorial improvements in NAFLD and hypertension by modulating gut microbiota. They may serve as promising therapeutic agents for treating these diseases.

Keywords

amlodipine aspartate; amlodipine besylate; hypertension; metabolome; microbiome; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; taurine metabolism.

Figures
Products