Purpose: Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a natural saponin substance extracted from the plant Radix Astragali with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and liver-protecting effects. This study was to evaluate the liver protection effect of AS-IV on mice after acute alcohol stimulation.
Materials and methods: Mice were orally administrated with AS-IV (50, 150, and 500 mg/kg, respectively), and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC, 50 mg/kg) daily for 7 days, before giving five alcohol-intragastric injections.
Results: Results suggested that the levels of serum ALT and AST, liver SOD, GSH-PX, 4-HNE, and MDA, serum and liver TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), diamine oxidase (DAO) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO), the mRNA and protein expression of hepatic NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 were significantly decreased in AS-IV-treated mice compared with the model group. Moreover, the effect of AS-IV on histopathology of liver tissue confirmed its protective function. Furthermore, AS-IV ameliorated the gut microbiota imbalance and adjusted the abundance of the following dysfunctional bacteria closer to the control group: Butyricicoccus, Turicibacter, Akkermansia, Anaerotruncus, and Mucispirillum. A strong correlation between intestinal bacteria and potential biomarkers was found.
Conclusion: Together, our findings indicated that AS-IV exert the hepatoprotective effect by modulating the gut microbiota imbalance and regulating NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway.
Keywords: Alcoholic liver disease; NLRP3 inflammasome; astragaloside IV; gut microbiota; hepatoprotective effect.
Astragaloside IV alleviated liver dysfunction during alcohol-induced liver injury.Astragaloside IV inhibited LPS, LBP, and DAO translocation in the intestine.Astragaloside IV attenuated liver dysfunction in mice by modulating gut microbiota and inhibiting NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway.