Fig. 1

Regulation effects of MLF on hepatic lipid accumulation in NAFLD rats. a and b TG and TC levels in the liver with or without oral administration of MLF at 200, 100 and 50 mg kg^− 1 d^− 1. c Morphology, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and oil red O staining of liver tissues. Pictures were captured under a microscope (400×). d and e. H&E-stained liver sections were assessed for the NAFLD activity score (NAS) and lobular inflammation. Normal: normal group; Control: control group; Feno-50: positive control group (50 mg kg^− 1); MLF: mulberry leaves extract in different dosage groups. Data were presented as mean ± SEM. n = 10, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 vs. control group, #p < 0.05, ##p < 0.01, ###p < 0.001 vs. Feno-50 group