RESEARCH Open Access

and inflammation in methionine/choline-deficient diet-induced steatohepatitis through regulating autophagy Guiyuan Ji1*†, Yuqi Wang1,2†, Yingxun Deng2, Xin Li3 and Zhuoqin Jiang2 Background: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease that can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring phytoalexin, is believed to have therapeutic effects on hepatic steatosis. However, the effect of resveratrol on NASH and the underlying mechanism is not fully illustrated. In the present study, we aimed to exam the effect of resveratrol on methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet or medium-induced hepatic steatosis, oxidation and inflammation, and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods: C57BL/6 mice and AML12 cells were treated with MCD alone or in combination with different concentrations of resveratrol (100 mg/kg/day or 250 mg/kg/day for mice and 25 μmol/L, 50 μmol/L, or 100 μmol/L for cells). Levels of aminotransferases (ALT), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were measured, concentrations of triglyceride (TG) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance