CGplus, a standardized herbal composition ameliorates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in a tunicamycin-induced mouse model

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has increased by 15-39% worldwide, but no pharmaceutical therapeutics exists.

Hypothesis/purpose: This study investigated anti-hepatosteatotic effect of CG^plus (a standardized herbal composition of Artemisia iwayomogi, Amomum xanthioides, and Salvia miltiorrhiza) and its underlying mechanisms in a tunicamycin-induced NASH model.

Methods: C57/BL6J male mice were orally administrated CG^plus (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg), dimethyl dimethoxy biphenyl dicarboxylate (DDB, 50 mg/kg) or distilled water daily for 5 days. 18 h after a single injection of tunicamycin (ip, 2 mg/kg), the parameters for hepatic steatosis and inflammation were measured.

Results: Pretreatment with CG^plus significantly attenuated the accumulation of triglycerides and total cholesterol as well as lipid peroxidation, evidenced by quantitative and histopathological analyses in liver tissues. The elevations of serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly ameliorated by CG^plus. Also, it normalized the altered activities of pro- (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines and lipid metabolism-related molecules in protein and gene expression analyses.

Conclusion: Our data present experimental evidence for the potential of CG^plus as an herbal therapeutic against NAFLD and NASH. Its underlying mechanisms may involve the modulations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, but further study is required especially for the actions of CG^plus on lipid metabolisms.

Keywords: Hepatotherapeutic; Herbal medicine; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.