Protection of Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang to liver in the obstructive jaundice rats model and the effect of takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5, farnesoid X receptor

Abstract

Objective To observe the effect of Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang (YCHT) on the expression changes of takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in the obstructive jaundice rats model and explore its mechanism. Methods The obstructive jaundice rats were created and divided into 3 groups, sham operation group (sham), bile duct ligation group (BDL) and Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang group (BDL+ YCHT). The levels of liver function related factors in serum were detected. The serum levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA and protein levels of TGR5 and FXR in rat liver tissuses of different groups were determined by immunohistochemistry, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) and Western blotting. Results The serum levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil), direct bilirubin (DBil) and total bile acid (TBA) in BDL group were significantly increased (P all=0.000) and IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly increased (P=0.002, 0.000, 0.004); Compared with BDL group, the levels of ALT, AST, TBil, DBil, TBA, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in BDL+ YCHT group were significantly decreased (P=0.005, 0.000, 0.028, 0.009, 0.029, 0.021, 0.042, 0.037). The expression of TGR5 in BDL group and BDL + YCHT group was significantly increased than that Sham group (P=0.030) and BDL group (P=0.042); The mRNA level and protein expression of TGR5 in BDL group was significantly higher (P all=0.000), while protein and the mRNA of FXR in BDL group were significantly decreased (P all=0.000). The mRNA level and protein expression of TGR5 and FXR were significantly increased in BDL + YCHT group than BDL group (P=0.007, 0.032, 0.007, 0.000). Conclusion The expression of TGR5 in liver tissue was increased while FXR was decreased in obstructive jaundice. YCHT can reduce liver damage by up-regulating the expression of TGR5 and FXR. Key words: Obstructive jaundice; Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5; Farnesoid X receptor; Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang