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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1517291
This article is part of the Research Topic Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD): Innovative Management strategies using Herbal Medicines View all articles
The mechanism study of quercetin isolated from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. inhibiting ferroptosis and alleviating MAFLD through p38 MAPK/ERK signaling pathway based on lipidomics and transcriptomics
Provisionally accepted
Yan Chen *
fajian Ren 
Nannan Yang Qiwen Xiang 
Song Gao Wei Pu Zhou Yang Qiuyan Liu 
Shajie Luo Chaolong Rao - 成都中医药大学, 成都中医药大学, China
Background: As a resource with a variety of medicinal and edible values, Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. has been found to improve high-fat diet-induced metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).The aim of this study was to predict the main active metabolites in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. based on network analysis, and to explore and validate their potential mechanisms of action through lipidomics and transcriptomic techniques.: MAFLD mouse model and cell model were established to evaluate the effect of active components in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. on MAFLD. Serum biochemical indexes, pathological staining observation, lipid group and transcriptome were used to verify the mechanism of action of active components in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. on MAFLD. Results: Quercetin can regulate the liver lipid metabolites of MAFLD mice through the Glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway, thereby improving liver lipid accumulation and liver injury. At the same time, quercetin can also improve MAFLD by reducing oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, and inhibit ferroptosis through the p38 MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, thereby alleviating the progression of MAFLD. Conclusions: Quercetin isolated from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.has ameliorative effects on MAFLD, probably mainly by affecting lipid metabolic pathways and MAPK signaling pathways.
Keywords: Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim., metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, Quercetin, lipidomics, Transcriptomics
Received: 25 Oct 2024; Accepted: 14 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Ren, Yang, Xiang, Gao, Pu, Yang, Liu, Luo and Rao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yan Chen, 成都中医药大学, 成都中医药大学, China
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