{
  "abstract": "Background: Magnolol (MAG), a bioactive compound from Magnolia officinalis, possesses anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering properties, but its role in obesity-associated liver injury and its molecular targets remain unknown.\n\nMethods: High-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were treated with MAG (10 or 20 mg/kg) daily for 7 days. AML12 hepatocytes were challenged with PA with or without MAG pretreatment. Liver injury was evaluated by histology, serum biochemistry, qPCR and Western blot. RNA-seq and mechanistic studies were performed to identify MAG-regulated pathways and targets.\n\nResults: MAG significantly reduced hepatic lipid accumulation, serum transaminases, and collagen deposition in HFD-fed mice. RNA-seq identified monoacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (MOGAT1) as the most significantly downregulated lipogenic gene by MAG. MOGAT1 expression correlated positively with liver triglyceride and injury markers. MAG also suppressed HFD-induced NF-κB activation (reduced P65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation, lower IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β). These findings were recapitulated in PA-treated AML12 cells. Critically, MOGAT1 overexpression largely reversed MAG-mediated suppression of inflammatory and fibrotic responses, demonstrating a causal role of MOGAT1 in MAG’s protective effects.\n\nConclusion: MAG alleviates HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrogenic responses by suppressing MOGAT1-mediated triglyceride synthesis and subsequent NF-κB-driven inflammation. This study identifies MOGAT1 as a novel downstream effector and functional mediator of MAG, providing new mechanistic insight into its hepatoprotective action and supporting its therapeutic potential for obesity-associated liver injuries.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ziqing Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zixia Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Linfei Luo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhengqiang Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhili Wen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhihua Xiao"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9bdtvy4cemt8h.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1971993",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9bdtvy4cemt8h",
  "issns": [
    "1663-9812"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1971993/full",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2713|Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223795691",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1971993/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-27",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9bdtvy4cemt8h.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1971993",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1971993/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2713|Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Magnolol alleviates high-fat diet-induced steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis in obesity-associated liver injuries via MOGAT1-mediated lipid metabolism and NF-κB signaling",
  "title_text": "Magnolol alleviates high-fat diet-induced steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis in obesity-associated liver injuries via MOGAT1-mediated lipid metabolism and NF-κB signaling",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9bdtvy4cemt8h",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Pharmacology",
  "versions": []
}