Synthesis of natural 3'-Prenylchalconaringenin and biological evaluation of ameliorating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and important risk factor for cardiac diseases, diabetes and extrahepatic cancers. Natural 3'-geranylchalconaringenin (GC) and desmethylxanthohumol (DX) from hop were synthesized using a regio-selective iodination and the Suzuki coupling reaction as key steps. GC and DX, along with their aglycone naringenin chalcone (NC) were investigated their decreasing the accumulation of cellular lipids. GC reduced lipid content and activated the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway in HepG2 and 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, GC had an obvious therapeutic effect on alleviating NAFLD and metabolic syndrome by activating the AMPK pathway in vivo. In conclusion, GC may be potentially used as a candidate drug and functional food for treating NAFLD and metabolic syndrome.