Abstract
BackgroundLiver fibrosis is the main contributor to the chronic liver-associated morbidity and mortality.PurposeThe study was conducted to evaluate the effects of whole plant powder of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) on liver fibrosis.MethodsLiver fibrosis was induced by the oral administration of 20% carbon tetrachloride (CCL4), twice a week for 8 weeks. Simultaneously, dandelion root extract (500 mg/kg) was daily administered via the same route.ResultsDandelion remarkably improved the liver histology as evidenced by histopathological scoring with hematoxylin-eosin staining. Masson staining and hydroxyproline content similarly showed that dandelion decreased collagen deposition. Both mRNA and protein levels of α-smooth muscle actin and collagens 1 and 3 have been decreased after dandelion treatment compared to CCL4 group. Dandelion also downregulated the mRNA expressions of inflammatory factors interleukin-IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, remodeling growth factor-β1, cyclooxygenase-2, and nuclear factor kappa-B and decreased the myeloperoxidase activity. Additionally, the effects of dandelion were associated with the decreased levels of the hepatic oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and P. carbonyl) and elevation of the activity of superoxide dismutase activity. Dandelion’s effect to alleviate the fibrosis and inflammation induced by CCL4 treatment in the livers and was more pronounced than with silymarin. The total antioxidant study of dandelion extract revealed that dandelion has notable ferric reducing antioxidant power and high total phenolic content.ConclusionFinally, these results suggest that dandelion prevents the progression of hepatic fibrosis induced by CCL4. The dandelion’s antifibrotic effects could be attributed to its ability to scavenge free radicals and to attenuate inflammatory cells activations.
Highlights
Liver fibrosis is the main contributor to the chronic liver-associated morbidity and mortality.Purpose: The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of whole plant powder of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) on liver fibrosis
Among myriad of herbal drugs, silymarin, which is being explored for a wide variety of disorders such as oxidative stress, inflammatory disorders, and liver disorders (Ali et al, 2018), the usual therapeutic dose 200 mg/kg of silymarin administered to Carbon tetrachloride (CCL4)-induced model of liver fibrosis can inhibit the fibrogenic mechanism and the progression of initial liver fibrosis (Clichici et al, 2015; Neha, Jaggi, & Singh, 2016)
Dandelion improved liver function in CCL4-treated rats Figure 2 shows the effects of dandelion on liver function’s biomarkers of in rats treated with CCL4
Summary
Liver fibrosis is the main contributor to the chronic liver-associated morbidity and mortality.Purpose: The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of whole plant powder of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) on liver fibrosis. Cellular changes accompanying HSC activation include morphological changes such as the appearance of the cytoskeletal protein α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and a dramatic increase in types I and III collagens (Friedman, 2008). This excess deposition of ECM disrupts the normal architecture of the liver that gradually degenerates the normal cellular function of the organ and causes liver failure with significant morbidity and mortality (Friedman, 2008). Studies have demonstrated that liver fibrosis may be prevented and even reversed by bioactive food components and natural products including silymarin (Bae, Park, & Lee, 2018). Among myriad of herbal drugs, silymarin, which is being explored for a wide variety of disorders such as oxidative stress, inflammatory disorders, and liver disorders (Ali et al, 2018), the usual therapeutic dose 200 mg/kg of silymarin administered to CCL4-induced model of liver fibrosis can inhibit the fibrogenic mechanism and the progression of initial liver fibrosis (Clichici et al, 2015; Neha, Jaggi, & Singh, 2016)
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