The Research Progress of Exercise Improving Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Activating AMPK

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a kind of common chronic liver disease globally. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is very complex,and the main pathological manifestation is excessive accumulation of triglyceride(TG)in hepatocytes,which resulting in hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Exercise is an effective way to improve NAFLD by increasing energy expenditure,promoting lipolysis,and reducing liver steatosis. However,the molecular mechanisms of exercise intervention improving NAFLD remain unclear. The AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK),which is regulated by AMP/ATP ratio,is an important energy-sensitive protein kinase in the body,it can regulate energy metabolism by phosphorylating the substrates. The AMPK can be activated by exercise,because exercise can increase the ATP consumption and the AMP/ATP ratio. Exercise-activated AMPK plays an important role in improving and reversing NAFLD,such as inhibiting liver fat synthesis,promoting liver fatty acid oxidation,maintaining mitochondrial function in adipose tissue,and reducing the transfer of fatty acid to peripheral and liver tissues and thus reduce the accumulation of TG in liver. In order to provide some theoretical evidences for the application of exercise intervention in NAFLD,this article summarized the molecular mechanisms of exercise-activated AMPK in regulating the lipid metabolism.