Alcoholic liver injury, known as the most general result
of chronic
alcohol intake, is induced by inflammatory responses, which is activated
by intestine-derived endotoxins formed from intestinal dysbiosis.
The hepatoprotective activity of rice bran phenolic extract (RBPE)
on ethanol-fed mice was investigated for the first time in this study,
and the underlying mechanism was explored from gut microbiota, barrier
function, and hepatic inflammation. Mice were fed an alcohol-containing
liquid diet alone or in mixture with RBPE for 8 weeks. RBPE treatment
mitigated ethanol-induced liver damage, evidenced by the declined
lipid profile levels and hepatic function markers. Moreover, ethanol
intake induced intestinal microbiota dysbiosis, which was attenuated
by RBPE supplementation. RBPE treatment improved the alcohol-induced
decrease in the expression of ZO-1, Claudin-1, Claudin-4, and Reg3g,
revealing the ameliorative effect of RBPE on intestinal barrier dysfunction.
Furthermore, RBPE treatment repressed the alcohol-induced trigger
of the hepatic endotoxin–TLR4–NF-κB pathway, followed
by the mitigated liver inflammation. The findings indicate that RBPE
supplementation ameliorates intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and barrier
dysfunction, inactivates the endotoxin–TLR4–NF-κB
pathway, and represses inflammatory responses in liver, and therefore,
intake of RBPE or brown rice may be an effective way to mitigate alcoholic
liver injury.
In view of the fact that different types of processed rice contain different tissue fractions, the present study quantified phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity in the pericarp, aleurone layer, embryo and endosperm fractions of brown rice.
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