Objective       To investigate the role of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) in preventive effect of resveratrol (RSV) on the occurrence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats treated with high-fat diet.       Methods       Forty eight-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group treated with normal diet

high-fat diet group treated with normal diet and lard

high-fat diet+50 mg/kg RSV group

and high-fat diet+100 mg/kg RSV group. During 8-week intervention

the body mass and food consumption were weighed weekly for each rat. After the intervention

the concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in the serum and liver were measured. The hepatic steatosis was observed by histological staining with hematoxylin and eosin. The protein levels of pAMPK

SIRT1

SREBP-1c and FAS were determined by Western blotting

and the mRNA levels of SREBP-1c and FAS were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Meanwhile

the binding degree of FAS promoter sequence SRE and SREBP-1c was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay.       Results      RSV reduced the body mass of the high-fat fed rats(P0.05)

but their daily energy intake had no obvious change. RSV significantly lowered TG levels in the serum and liver of the high-fat fed rats(P0.05). High-fat diet induced hepatic steatosis

and resulted in low protein expression of pAMPK and SIRT1 in the liver of the rats (P0.05)

high mRNA and protein expression of SREBP-1c and FAS  (P0.05)

and high binding degree of SRE and SREBP-1c(P0.05)

while RSV significantly inhibited these effects (P0.05).       Conclusion      RSV can prevent the occurrence of NAFLD in the high-fat fed rats through up-regulating pAMPK and SIRT1 and down-regulating SREBP-1c and transcriptional activity.