Hepatoprotective Effects of the Polysaccharide Isolated from <i>Tarphochlamys affinis</i> (Acanthaceae) against CCl₄-Induced Hepatic Injury

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of the polysaccharide isolated from Tarphochlamys affinis (PTA) against CCl 4 -induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Liver injury was induced in rats by the administration of CCl 4 twice a week for 2 weeks. During the experiment, the model group received CCl 4 only; the treatment groups received various drugs plus CCl 4 , whereas the normal control group received an equal volume of saline. Compared with the CCl 4 group, PTA significantly decreased the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the serum and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver. Moreover, the content of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) was reduced. Histological findings also confirmed the antihepatotoxic characterisation. In addition, PTA significantly inhibited the proinflammatory mediators, such as prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Further investigation showed that the inhibitory effect of PTA on the pro-inflammatory cytokines was associated with the down-regulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In brief, our results show that the protective effect of PTA against CCl 4 -induced hepatic injury may rely on its ability to reduce oxidative stress and suppress inflammatory responses. Key words Tarphochlamys affinis (Acanthaceae); polysaccharide; hepatoprotective effect; carbon tetrachlorideIn recent years, "oxidative stress" and its adverse effects on human health has become a subject of considerable interest of research. It is a well-documented fact that exposure of organisms to the exogenous and endogenous factors generates a wide range of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in the homeostatic imbalance.1,2) Production of free radicals exceeded, such as superoxide, hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide (commonly designated as ROS), was found certain to play multiple important roles in tissue damage and the loss of function.3) Development in the biomedicine points to the involvement of the free radicals in many diseases. The free radicals attack the unsaturated fatty acids in the biomembranes, yielding the membrane lipid peroxidation, the decrease in membrane fluidity, the loss of enzymes and the damage to membrane proteins and leading to the cell inactivation.4) The harmful action of the free radicals can, however, be blocked by the antioxidant substances, which scavenge the free radicals and detoxify the organism. Many studies have shown that natural polysaccharide, which were found largely in fruits and vegetables, have been confirmed to play an important part as free radical scavengers in the prevention of oxidative damage in living organism and can be exploited as novel potential antioxidants, and the effects have something to do with their chemical properties and architectural characteristics.5) T...

Anti-Tumor Effects of the Polysaccharide Isolated from Tarphochlamys Affinis in H22 Tumor-Bearing Mice

“…Voucher specimens (LYQ2014011801) were identified by the Guangxi Academy of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science. PTA was isolated from TA by the Department of Pharmacology, Guangxi Medical University (Guangxi, China), and was prepared according to the method described in our previous paper with slight modification [16]. Tarphochlamys affinis (1000 g) was dried and powdered, extracted three times with 10000 mL water for 2 h at 95-100°C.…”

“…Tarphochlamys affinis (Acanthaceae) (TA) has a long history of wide use as a Chinese traditional medicine and has been used to treat tumors, jaundice, acute and chronic hepatitis and other disorders [16]. Our previous studies have shown that more than twenty compounds can be isolated from TA and that polysaccharides have been implicated as the main bioactive ingredient of TA [16].…”

“…Our previous studies have shown that more than twenty compounds can be isolated from TA and that polysaccharides have been implicated as the main bioactive ingredient of TA [16]. The polysaccharide of Tarphochlamys affinis (PTA) has been demonstrated to have variety of bioactivities, including antioxidant properties in vitro, protective effects against CCl 4 -or ConA-induced hepatic injury and antiviral effects on the hepatitis B virus [16]. Recently, studies have reported that PTA has a significant anti-tumor effect on S 180 tumor-bearing mice in vivo [16][17][18][19].…”

“…The polysaccharide of Tarphochlamys affinis (PTA) has been demonstrated to have variety of bioactivities, including antioxidant properties in vitro, protective effects against CCl 4 -or ConA-induced hepatic injury and antiviral effects on the hepatitis B virus [16]. Recently, studies have reported that PTA has a significant anti-tumor effect on S 180 tumor-bearing mice in vivo [16][17][18][19]. However, there is no report published on the anti-tumor effect of PTA on HCC.…”

Insect tea extract attenuates CCl4-induced hepatic damage through its antioxidant capacities in ICR mice

“…Distributed mainly in hepatic cells and kupffer cells, iNOS is not expressed normally. While under pathological state of hepatitis and hepatic injury, iNOS's activity increases significantly and its expression enhances (39). In this state, it continually produces massive NO, which can trigger the generation of a series of inflammatory factors (cytokines) and thus increases inflammatory reaction.…”