Abstract
Background Liver injury has been recognized as a primary cause of hepatic morbidity and mortality. Euscaphis konishii Hayata, also called Euscaphis fukienensis Hsu, is usually used as a detumescent and analgesic agent to improve liver function in South China, but its mechanism of action and chemical composition are unclear. Objective The main aim of the study was to investigate the constituent and potential hepatoprotective mechanism of the total triterpenes of E. konishii pericarp (TTEP). MethodsThe constituent of TTEP was analyzed by a series of silica gel column to get single compounds and then identified by NMR and MS. In vitro assays were conducted to test the free radical scavenging activity of TTEP. The BCG/LPS-induced immunological livery injury mice model was established to clarify the hepatoprotective effect of TTEP in vivo. Results 8 pentacyclic triterpene acids were separated and identified by NMR and MS. TTEP treatment (50, 100, and 200 mg/Kg) improved the immune function of the BCG/LPS-infected mice, dose-dependently alleviated the BCG/LPS-induced inflammation and oxidative stress, and ameliorated the hepatocyte apoptosis in the liver tissue. Conclusion The pericarp of E. konishii may be further considered as a potent natural food for liver disease treatment.
Highlights
Liver, the central organ of metabolism, digestion, excretion, detoxification, and immunity, is susceptible to a variety of factors including viral infections, alcohol, drug abuse, and autoimmune attack of hepatocytes [1, 2]
The endotoxin/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced liver injury has been recognized as the pathological basis of viral hepatic diseases [4], and the mice induced by LPS pretreated by Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been accepted as a classical experimental model to study the clinically viral fulminant hepatic failure, which is characterized by immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis [5,6,7]
The imbalance of endogenous enzymes including glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) is an important pathogenesis of liver diseases, which could be reflected by aberrant expression of antioxidant signaling such as Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2)/Heme Oxygenase 1 (HO-1) pathway [14, 15]
Summary
The central organ of metabolism, digestion, excretion, detoxification, and immunity, is susceptible to a variety of factors including viral infections, alcohol, drug abuse, and autoimmune attack of hepatocytes [1, 2]. The endotoxin/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced liver injury has been recognized as the pathological basis of viral hepatic diseases [4], and the mice induced by LPS pretreated by Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been accepted as a classical experimental model to study the clinically viral fulminant hepatic failure, which is characterized by immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis [5,6,7]. Liver injury induced by LPS activates the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB signaling, promoting the expression of many inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO) [12, 13]. The BCG/LPS-induced immunological livery injury mice model was established to clarify the hepatoprotective effect of TTEP in vivo. TTEP treatment (50, 100, and 200 mg/Kg) improved the immune function of the BCG/LPS-infected mice, dose-dependently alleviated the BCG/LPS-induced inflammation and oxidative stress, and ameliorated the hepatocyte apoptosis in the liver tissue. The pericarp of E. konishii may be further considered as a potent natural food for liver disease treatment
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