Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease and affects millions of people worldwide. Despite the increasing prevalence of NAFLD, the exact molecular/cellular mechanisms remain obscure and effective therapeutic strategies are still limited. It is well-accepted that free fatty acid (FFA)-induced lipotoxicity plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Inhibition of FFA-associated hepatic toxicity represents a potential therapeutic strategy. Glycyrrhizin (GL), the major bioactive component of licorice root extract, has a variety of pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulating activities. GL has been used to treat hepatitis to reduce liver inflammation and hepatic injury; however, the mechanism underlying the antihepatic injury property of GL is still poorly understood. In this report, we provide evidence that 18 β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), the biologically active metabolite of GL, prevented FFA-induced lipid accumulation and cell apoptosis in in vitro HepG2 (human liver cell line) NAFLD models. GA also prevented high fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic lipotoxicity and liver injury in in vivo rat NAFLD models. GA was found to stabilize lysosomal membranes, inhibit cathepsin B expression and enzyme activity, inhibit mitochondrial cytochrome c release, and reduce FFA-induced oxidative stress. These characteristics may represent major cellular mechanisms, which account for its protective effects on FFA/HFD-induced hepatic lipotoxicity. Conclusion: GA significantly reduced FFA/HFD-induced hepatic lipotoxicity by stabilizing the integrity of lysosomes and mitochondria and inhibiting cathepsin B expression and enzyme activity.

Genetic polymorphisms in many genes related to drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME genes) contribute to the high heterogeneity of drug responses in humans. However, the extent to which genetic variation in ADME genes may contribute to differences among human populations in drug responses has not been studied. In this work, we investigate the global distribution of genetic diversity for 31 core and 252 extended ADME genes. We find that many important ADME genes are highly differentiated across continental regions. Additionally, we analyze the genetic differentiation associated with clinically relevant, functional polymorphism alleles, which is important for evaluating potential among-population heterogeneity in drug treatment effects. We find that ADME genes show significantly greater variation in levels of population differentiation, and we find numerous signals of recent positive selection on ADME genes. These results suggest that genetic differentiation at ADME genes could contribute to population heterogeneity in drug responses.

Iridium-catalyzed boron–hydrogen bond insertion reactions of trimethylamine-borane and sulfoxonium ylides have been demonstrated, furnishing α-boryl ketones in moderate to excellent yields in most cases (51 examples; up to 84%).