Xie Zhuo Tiao Zhi formula ameliorates chronic alcohol-induced liver injury in mice

Kaixin Chang; Rui Guo; Wenbo Hu; Xuezhu Wang; Feiwei Cao; Jiannan Qiu; Jiaomei Li; Qiang Han; Zhongyan Du; Xiaobing Dou; Songtao Li

doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1363131

Xie Zhuo Tiao Zhi formula ameliorates chronic alcohol-induced liver injury in mice

Front Pharmacol. 2024 Apr 12:15:1363131. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1363131. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Kaixin Chang^#¹, Rui Guo^#², Wenbo Hu^#³, Xuezhu Wang², Feiwei Cao², Jiannan Qiu¹, Jiaomei Li², Qiang Han², Zhongyan Du⁴, Xiaobing Dou¹, Songtao Li²

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
² School of Public Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
³ The First School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Blood-Stasis-Toxin Syndrome of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for 'Preventive Treatment' Smart Health of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the protective role and potential mechanisms of Xie Zhuo Tiao Zhi decoction (XZTZ) on alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). XZTZ significantly alleviated alcohol-induced liver dysfunction, based on histological examinations and biochemical parameters after 4-week administration. Mechanically, alcohol-stimulated hepatic oxidative stress was ameliorated by XZTZ, accompanied by the improvement of Nrf2/Keap1 expression and alcohol-activated phosphorylation of pro-inflammatory transcription factors, including JNK, P38, P65, and IκBα, were rescued by XZTZ. In conclusion, XZTZ demonstrates potential in alleviating alcohol-induced liver injury, oxidative stress, and inflammation possibly through modulation of Nrf2/Keap1 and MAPKs/NF-κB signaling pathways, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic option for patients with alcoholic liver disease.

Keywords: Xie Zhuo Tiao Zhi decoction; alcohol-associated liver disease; liver inflammation; liver injury; oxidative stress.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (82004353, 82273625), Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (LQ20H290005), the Special Support Program for High Level Talents in Zhejiang Province (ZJWR0308092), the Research Project of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (2023JKZKTS11, 2022RCZXZK20), and Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Program (New Young Talent Program) for College Students (2022R410A004).