Oenothein B ameliorates hepatic injury in alcoholic liver disease mice by improving oxidative stress and inflammation and modulating the gut microbiota

Lu Xu; Wei Li; Shu-Yi Chen; Xi-Wen Deng; Wei-Feng Deng; Guo Liu; Yun-Jiao Chen; Yong Cao

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1053718

Oenothein B ameliorates hepatic injury in alcoholic liver disease mice by improving oxidative stress and inflammation and modulating the gut microbiota

Front Nutr. 2022 Dec 12:9:1053718. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1053718. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Lu Xu¹, Wei Li², Shu-Yi Chen¹, Xi-Wen Deng¹, Wei-Feng Deng¹, Guo Liu¹, Yun-Jiao Chen¹, Yong Cao¹

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, Guangdong Research Center for Engineering Technology in Bioactive Natural Products, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
² Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a global health problem for which there is no current food and drug administration (FDA)-approved therapy. Oenothein B (OEB) is a macrocyclic dimer ellagic tannin that possesses abundant biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammation, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial properties.

Materials and methods: In this study, the hepatoprotective effect of OEB against ALD was investigated in vivo and in vitro.

Results: We found that OEB treatment dramatically reduced alcohol-induced hepatic injury, as evidenced by decreased levels of aminotransferases and inflammatory biomarkers and increased antioxidant capacity in OEB-treated groups.

Discussion: OEB treatment alleviated oxidative stress by upregulating the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway and inhibited inflammation by downregulating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Additionally, OEB treatment positively improved alcohol-induced intestinal microbial dysbiosis by modulating the structure and composition of gut microbiota. Interestingly, we observed the increasement of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers (Muribaculaceae) and the decreasement of Gram-negative bacteria (Akkermansia) in the OEB treatment groups, which may contribute to the inhibition of hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation via the gut-liver axis. In summary, our findings indicate that OEB is a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating ALD.

Keywords: Oenothein B; alcoholic liver disease; gut microbiota; inflammation; oxidative stress.