Fig. 6

Epalrestat exhibits a therapeutic effect in a NASH mouse model. Male mice were fed with an MCD or MCS diet for 6 weeks. The mice were then randomly separated into groups and gavaged with epalrestat (20 mg/kg), MCC950 (20 mg/kg), or vehicle daily for a total of 5 days and then with 40 mg/kg every other day, for up to 6 weeks. A Macroscopic appearance of the liver and representative micrographs of liver sections stained with H&E, Masson stain, and Sirius red. Scale bars represent 100 μm. B–C Serum levels of ALT B and AST C. D–F IL-1β D TNF-α E and Colla1 F mRNA levels were measured from the liver tissue. G The levels of pro-caspase-1, and cleaved caspase-1 proteins in the liver tissue were determined using immunoblot analysis. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. Statistical differences were analyzed using an unpaired Student’s t-test. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001; ns not significant