Sparassis crispaAttenuates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatic Injury in Rats

Abstract

Sparassis crispa is an edible mushroom with various medicinal properties. Here we demonstrate the effect of Sparassis crispa on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced hepatotoxicity and the underlying mechanism. To evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of Sparassis crispa ethanol extract (SCE), 50 male Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into 5 groups. Group I is the normal control rats with an intraperitoneal (i.p.) 0.5% carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) pretreatment and olive oil treatment. Group II is the model group with an i.p. 0.5% CMC and 0.5 mL/kg CCl₄ treatment. Group III and IV is the CCl₄-administered rats pretreated with an i.p. 100 and 200 mg/kg SCE, respectively. Group V includes the silymarin group with an i.p. 50 mg/kg silymarin and CCl₄ treatment. At 16 h after the CCl₄ treatment, the levels of serum aminotransferases, TNF-α, and lipid peroxidation were substantially increased, whereas the activity of hepatic antioxidative enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, was decreased. These changes were attenuated by SCE. The histological studies also showed that SCE inhibited the CCl4-induced liver injury. Furthermore, the contents of hepatic nitrite, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were elevated after CCl₄ treatment, while the cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) expression was suppressed. SCE treatment inhibited the formation of liver nitrite, reduced the overexpression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins, but restored the liver CYP2E1 content compared with the CCl₄-treated model group. The present data elucidate that SCE protects the liver against CCl₄-induced acute hepatotoxicity, which might be due to its ability to restore the CYP2E1 function and suppress the inflammatory responses, in combination with its capacity to reduce oxidative stress.