Objectives
Improper usage of acetaminophen (APAP) leads to morbidity and also mortality secondary to liver damage. Ginseng could suppress APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and ginsenoside Rg3 is a kind of major component in ginseng against liver damage. Herein, we intended to estimate the beneficial function and molecular mechanism of Rg3 on APAP-caused hepatotoxicity and identified hepatoprotection.
Methods
A total of 50 C57BL/6J mice were divided into five random groups, and each contains 10 mice as the control, acetaminophen (350 mg/kg) and Rg3 (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) + acetaminophen (350 mg/kg) groups. These mice were intragastric administration a single dose of acetaminophen by oral treatment behind pre-administered with several doses of ginsenoside Rg3 for six hours.
Key findings
According to our data, the injection of APAP (350 mg/kg) enhanced the basal levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactic dehydrogenase. However, these abnormal added were alleviated by Rg3. Moreover, Rg3 treatment obviously relieved APAP-caused inflammation and oxidant in liver tissues. The depletion of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, total antioxidant capacity and generation of malondialdehyde induced by APAP treatment were reduced by Rg3. By H&E staining, Rg3 effectively reduced APAP-caused apoptosis and inflammatory infiltration. Moreover, Rg3 attenuated APAP-caused hepatic damage in part by regulating the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, we found that Rg3 could bind to NLRP3 suggesting the anti-inflammatory effects of Rg3 by molecular docking study.
Conclusions
In summary, Rg3 showed hepatic protective function in APAP-induced hepatotoxicity as evidenced by a reduction of the oxidant and the inflammatory reply, relieve of hepatocellular damage, showing potential in Rg3 as a potential therapeutic medicine to prevent hepatic injury.
Tetrahydroxy stilbene glycoside (TSG) is a main active compound in Polygonum multiflorum. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a well‐known analgesic and antipyretic drug. It is considered to be safe within a therapeutic range, in case of acute intoxication hepatotoxicity occurs. This present study aims to observe TSG‐provided alleviation on APAP‐induced hepatoxicity in C57BL/6 mice. APAP performs extensive necrosis and dissolves nucleus suggesting liver damage from hepatic histopathology. Serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase analysis and liver histological evaluation showed that TSG reduced the hepatotoxicity induced by a toxic dose of APAP. Moreover, TSG alone had no hepatotoxicity. TSG eliminated hepatic glutathione depletion and cysteine adducts formation. It also reduced the expression of interleukin‐10 and lowered the production of reactive oxygen species in liver tissues. Luminex was used to detect cytokine production in different groups. Herein, we used an untargeted metabolomics approach by performing ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry on treated mice to identify metabolic disruptions under APAP and TSG. Major alterations were observed for purine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. These data provide metabolic evidence and biomarkers in the liver that the ABC transporters, Glycine serine and threonine metabolism, and Choline metabolism in cancer changed the most. These targets of metabolites have the potential to improve our understanding of homeostatic. Meanwhile, these metabolites revealed that TSG can alleviate inflammation caused by APAP and promote the activity of intrinsic antioxidants. In summary, TSG can regulate lipid metabolism, promote the production of antioxidant enzymes, and decrease the inflammatory response.
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