Protective effect of Anneslea fragrans ethanolic extract against CCl4-induced liver injury by inhibiting inflammatory response, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Yudan Wang; Xiaocui Deng; Yaping Liu; Yifen Wang; Xiaodong Luo; Tianrui Zhao; Zhengxuan Wang; Guiguang Cheng

doi:10.1016/j.fct.2023.113752

Protective effect of Anneslea fragrans ethanolic extract against CCl₄-induced liver injury by inhibiting inflammatory response, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Food Chem Toxicol. 2023 May:175:113752. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113752. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

Authors

Yudan Wang¹, Xiaocui Deng², Yaping Liu², Yifen Wang³, Xiaodong Luo⁴, Tianrui Zhao², Zhengxuan Wang⁵, Guiguang Cheng⁶

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Green Preparation Technology of Biobased Materials, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, 650500, China.
² Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China.
³ Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry for Natural Resource, Ministry of Education and Yunnan Province, School of Chemical Science and Technology, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China.
⁵ Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China. Electronic address: WZX@kust.edu.cn.
⁶ Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China. Electronic address: ggcheng@kmust.edu.cn.

PMID: 37004906
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113752

Abstract

Anneslea Fragrans Wall. (AF) is a medicinal and edible plant distributed in China. Its leaves and barks are generally used for the treatments of diarrhea, fever, and liver diseases. While its ethnopharmacological application against liver diseases has not been fully studied. This study was aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic extract from A. fragrans (AFE) on CCl₄ induced liver injury in mice. The results showed that AFE could effectively reduce plasma activities of ALT and AST, increase antioxidant enzymes activities (SOD and CAT) and GSH level, and decrease MDA content in CCl₄ induced mice. AFE effectively decreased the expressions of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2 and iNOS), cell apoptosis-related proteins (Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9) and increased Bcl-2 protein expression via inhibiting MAPK/ERK pathway. Additionally, TUNEL staining, Masson and Sirius red staining, immunohistochemical analyses revealed that AFE could inhibit the CCl₄-induced hepatic fibrosis formation via reducing depositions of α-SMA, collagen I and collagen III proteins. Conclusively, the present study demonstrated that AFE had an hepatoprotective effect by suppressing MAPK/ERK pathway to inhibit oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptosis in CCl₄-induced liver injury mice, suggesting that AFE might be served as a hepatoprotective ingredient in the prevention and treatment of liver injury.

Keywords: Anneslea fragrans; Antioxidant; Apoptosis; Liver injury; MAPK/ERK pathway.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antioxidants / pharmacology
Apoptosis
Carbon Tetrachloride / metabolism
Carbon Tetrachloride / toxicity
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury* / metabolism
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury, Chronic* / drug therapy
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury, Chronic* / metabolism
Ethanol / metabolism
Liver
Mice
Oxidative Stress

Substances

Carbon Tetrachloride
Antioxidants
Ethanol