ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
Processed silkworm powder (Hongjam) ameliorates metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease via GPR35/PKA and SIRT1/AMPK pathways
Provisionally accepted
Da-Young Lee1Hye-Rin Ahn1
Young-Min Han1Moon-Young Song1Seung-Won Lee1You-Kyung Jang2Seokho Kim2Eun-Ji Go2
Eun-Hee Kim1*- 1CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- 2QBM Co Ltd, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic metabolic disorder associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. This study investigated the preventive effects of Hongjam, a processed silkworm powder, in a high-fat diet–induced MASLD mouse model. Hongjam supplementation improved serum triglyceride, cholesterol, and glucose levels and reduced hepatic lipid accumulation and liver injury markers. These effects were linked to activation of the SIRT1/AMPK pathway, suppression of lipogenic genes and enhancement of fatty acid oxidation. Hongjam also attenuated inflammation by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, it restored gluconeogenic capacity through activation of the GPR35/PKA signaling axis. To identify bioactive constituents, a silk-derived fibroin peptide was synthesized and tested in palmitate-treated HepG2 cells, where it suppressed SREBP1 expression, decreased lipid accumulation, and reactivated SIRT1/AMPK and GPR35/PKA/CREB signaling. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Hongjam and its fibroin peptide modulate lipid metabolism, inflammation, and glucose homeostasis, highlighting their potential as functional food ingredients for the prevention of MASLD.
Keywords: HongJam, Fibroin peptide, MASLD, Lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, Inflammation, Gluconeogenesis
Received: 17 Oct 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lee, Ahn, Han, Song, Lee, Jang, Kim, Go and Kim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Eun-Hee Kim, ehkim@cha.ac.kr
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