Sulforaphane alleviates hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury through promoting the activation of Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling

Transpl Immunol. 2021 Oct:68:101439. doi: 10.1016/j.trim.2021.101439. Epub 2021 Jul 25.

Abstract

Background: Sulforaphane (SFN)displays both anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory activity. Given that inflammation and oxidative stress play important roles in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HI/RI), we examined the protective effect and potential mechanism of SFN on HI/RI.

Methods: The maneuver of Pringle's was used to establish the mode of HI/RI and 60 SD rats were randomly divided into Sham, HI/RI, SFN and ML385 Groups. The expression of aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2(Nrf-2), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), nitric oxide (NO), Cyclooxygenase2 (COX-2), NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1(MCP-1) were measured. Moreover, hepatic pathological morphology and the activity of glutathione (GSH), Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) of the liver were also examined.

Results: SFN treatment can significantly decrease the hepatic pathological injury and down-regulate the expression of ALT, AST, ALP, COX-2, TNF-a, IL-6, MCP-1, NO and MDA in HI/RI with increasing the expression of Nrf2, NQO1 and HO-1, and up-regulating the activity of GSH, CAT and SOD. Moreover, Nrf-2 inhibitor, ML385 can obliviously reverse the protective effect of SFN on HI/RI.

Conclusion: Sulforaphane can inhibit the inflammatory response and oxidative stress induced by HI/RI through promoting the activation of the Nrf-2 / HO-1 signal pathway.

Keywords: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury; Inflammation; Nrf-2/HO-1; Oxidative stress; Sulforaphane.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Heme Oxygenase-1* / metabolism
  • Isothiocyanates
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reperfusion Injury* / drug therapy
  • Reperfusion Injury* / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Sulfoxides

Substances

  • Isothiocyanates
  • Sulfoxides
  • Heme Oxygenase-1
  • sulforaphane