Hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of dietaryAngelica sinensisextract against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury in Jian Carp (Cyprinus carpiovar. Jian)

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of Angelica sinensis extract (ASE) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var.Jian). Fish were fed diets containing four doses of ASE (0%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0%) for 60 days, and then given an intraperitoneal injection of 30% CCl4 in olive oil at a volume of 0.05 mL/10 g body weight. At 72 h post injection, blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical analysis, comet assay, histopathological examination and CYP3A mRNA expression. Results showed that the increases of glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamate oxalate transaminase (GOT) induced by CCl4 were significantly inhibited by pre-treating the fish with 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0% ASE in the diets. The elevation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the reductions of the total protein (TP) and albumin (Alb) in the serum induced by CCl4 were also inhibited by pre-treatments with 0.5 and 1.0% ASE. In the liver tissue, pre-treatment with 1.0% ASE significantly inhibited the malondialdehyde (MDA) formation and the reductions of the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and CYP3A mRNA expression induced by CCl4. Comet assay showed that tail moment, olive tail moment, tail length and tail DNA% were positively changed in fish pretreated with 0.5 and 1.0% ASE. CCl4-induced histological changes were obviously reduced by 0.5% and 1.0% ASE. Overall results prove the hepatoprotective effect of ASE in a dose-dependent manner and support the use of ASE (1.0%) as a hepatoprotective and antioxidant agent in fish.