Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of a Sasa veitchii leaf extract (SE) on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity.
Methods: Seven-week-old male ddY mice were orally administered SE or saline (0.2 mL) once a day for a week. Twenty-four hours after the last pretreatment, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with 550 mg/kg APAP or saline under fasting conditions. The mice from each group were euthanized and bled for plasma analysis 2, 6, 24, and 72 h after the injection.
Results: We found that pretreatment with SE significantly decreased hepatic injury markers (i.e., alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase), oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and glutathione level), inflammatory cytokines, histological damage, c-jun N-terminal kinase activation, and receptor-interacting protein-1 activation. Further, SE pretreatment decreased Cyp2e1 expression and increased total antioxidant capacity in the liver.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that prophylactic SE treatment protects mice from APAP-induced hepatotoxicity through modulation of Cyp2e1 expression and antioxidant capacity.
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