Sodium Butyrate Alleviates Free Fatty Acid-Induced Steatosis in Primary Chicken Hepatocytes via Regulating the ROS/GPX4/Ferroptosis Pathway

Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in laying hens is a nutritional Metabolic Disease commonly observed in high-yielding laying hens. Sodium butyrate (NaB) and Ferroptosis were reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of fatty liver-related diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of NaB in FLHS and whether it mediates Ferroptosis remains unclear. A chicken primary hepatocyte induced by free fatty acids (FFAs, keeping the ratio of sodium oleate and sodium palmitate concentrations at 2:1) was established, which received treatments with NaB, the Ferroptosis inducer RAS-selective lethal 3 (RSL3), and the inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). As a result, NaB increased biochemical and lipid metabolism indices, and the antioxidant level, while inhibiting intracellular ROS accumulation and the activation of the Ferroptosis signaling pathway, as evidenced by a reduction in intracellular iron concentration, upregulated GPX4 and xCT expression, and inhibited NCOA4 and ACSL4 expression. Furthermore, treatment with Fer-1 reinforced the protective effects of NaB, while RSL3 reversed it by blocking the ROS/GPX4/Ferroptosis pathway, leading to the accumulation of lipid droplets and oxidative stress. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that NaB protects hepatocytes by regulating the ROS/GPX4-mediated Ferroptosis pathway, providing a new strategy and target for the treatment of FLHS.

RSL3; fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome; ferroptosis; ferrostatin-1; sodium butyrate; steatosis.