Abstract
BackgroundArtemisia capillaris (AC) has been recognized as one of the promising candidates for hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antiobesitic and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effectiveness. This study evaluated the inherent mechanism and anti-apoptotic activity of 30% ethanol extract of AC (AC extract) 100 μg/ml on free fatty acids (FFAs)-induced HepG2 cellular steatosis and lipoapoptosis.MethodsHepatic steatosis was induced by culturing HepG2 cells with a FFAs mixture (oleic and palmitic acid at the proportion of 2:1) for 24 h, thus ultimately giving rise to lipoapoptosis. Cell viability and lipid accumulation were detected by MTT assay and Oil Red O staining method respectively and Caspase-3, −9, Bax, Bcl-2, p-JNK and PUMA were measured for lipoapoptosis after 24 hours.ResultsAC extract significantly improved the FFAs-induced steatosis without cytotoxicity and Caspase-3, −9, Bax and Bcl-2 were modulated profitably to HepG2 cells after AC treatment. In addition, AC extract inhibited the activation of c-Jun NH2 terminal kinase (JNK) and PUMA, which mechanism is related to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).ConclusionsCombined together, AC extract exerted an obvious hypolipidemic and anti-apoptotic effect, indicating that AC extract might have potential therapeutic herb against NASH.
Highlights
Artemisia capillaris (AC) has been recognized as one of the promising candidates for hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antiobesitic and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effectiveness
There are various tools that may explain the pathogenesis and progress of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative stress, inflammatory factors, insulin resistance, and so on. These days, increasing evidence suggests that ectopic fat incretion in liver triggers lipoapoptosis [10], a potential underlying mechanism involved in apoptosis in NASH [11], which is shown in NASH liver cell under free fatty acids (FFAs) overload [12]
Effects of FFAs and AC extract on cell viability To determine whether the treatment of AC extract on HepG2 cells has value for medical use with no toxic effect, the cells were treated with different concentrations of AC extract (100, 500 and 1000 μg/ml) for 24 h and cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay
Summary
Artemisia capillaris (AC) has been recognized as one of the promising candidates for hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antiobesitic and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effectiveness. The prevalence of NAFLD is estimated to be about 34% among adults in the United States [3] and it is recognized as the primary cause of liver dysfunction in children [4] Concerning this common liver disease, it encompasses a variety of hepatic features from simple fat deposition to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, severe. There are various tools that may explain the pathogenesis and progress of NASH: endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative stress, inflammatory factors, insulin resistance, and so on These days, increasing evidence suggests that ectopic fat incretion in liver triggers lipoapoptosis [10], a potential underlying mechanism involved in apoptosis in NASH [11], which is shown in NASH liver cell under free fatty acids (FFAs) overload [12]. Judging from this lipoapoptotic pathway, PUMA and JNK could be specific targets for treatment of NASH
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