Resveratrol Attenuates Liver Inflammation in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Activating PINK1-Mediated Mitophagy

Resveratrol (RES) has been shown to exhibit therapeutic efficacy against fatty liver disease. Yet, the molecular mechanisms by which RES ameliorates liver injury remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of resveratrol in fatty liver disease. It was found that dairy cows with fatty liver exhibit characteristic hepatic pathologies, including ballooning degeneration, lipid accumulation and elevated serum AST and ALT levels. Parallel to these changes, we observed significant upregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome alongside suppression of mitophagy in the liver. Additionally, it was demonstrated in vitro that resveratrol pretreatment effectively alleviated PA-triggered NLRP3 inflammasome activation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, RES’s mitigating effects against NLRP3 inflammation and mitochondrial injury were reversed by suppressing PINK1-medicated mitophagy. In vivo experiments further demonstrated that resveratrol administration attenuated HFD-induced liver injury and lipid accumulation in a mouse model, concurrent with suppressed NLRP3 activation and an increase in mitophagy, further confirming the mechanism identified in vitro. Our findings reveal that RES ameliorates fatty liver injury primarily by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome through PINK1-mediated mitophagy, which provides a potential novel therapeutic strategy for mitigating fatty liver disease.