Static magnetic field exposure modulates gut microbiota and host metabolism to alleviate high-fat diet-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

Static magnetic field (SMF) exposure exerts notable regulatory effects on metabolic disorders, yet its influence on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and gut microbiota during disease progression remains unclear. In this study, MAFLD was induced in mice via a high-fat diet (HFD), followed by exposure to a 0.2 T SMF for 12 h per day over a 10 week period. SMF treatment significantly attenuated body weight gain, alleviated hepatic lipid accumulation, and improved liver function. Sequencing analysis of intestinal contents revealed a significant increase in microbial diversity and enrichment of beneficial bacterial taxa under SMF exposure. Integrated multi-omics analysis and Spearman correlation further demonstrated that SMF significantly reduced the expression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis and modulated pathways related to polyunsaturated fatty acid and glutamate metabolism, in close association with shifts in beneficial gut microbiota. Furthermore, transcriptomic profiling of liver tissue indicated that SMF inhibited fatty acid synthesis and elongation by regulating the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), thereby contributing to reduced hepatic burden. These findings highlight SMF as a promising non-invasive strategy for MAFLD intervention and provide insights into the microbiota-mediated metabolic axis underlying its therapeutic effects.