HMGCS2 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: To delineate the essential role of HMGCS2 in mediating cynaroside’s dual regulation of ketogenesis and cellular senescence suppression, we established an in vivo knockdown model via the tail vein injection of AAV8-delivered HMGCS2 shRNA (AAV8-shHMGCS2) in NASH-T2DM mice.