Protective effects of gypenosides against fatty liver disease induced by high fat and cholesterol diet and alcohol in rats

• Published in: Archives of pharmacal research 2012, 35(7), , pp.1241-1250
• Main Authors: Qin, Renan, Zhang, Jianyu, Li, Chuyuan, Zhang, Xiaoqi, Xiong, Aihua, Huang, Feng, Yin, Zhen, Li, Kongyan, Qin, Wenyu, Chen, Mingzhen, Zhang, Shubing, Liang, Lingyi, Zhang, Huiye, Nie, Hong, Ye, Wencai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alanine transaminase; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Animals; apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; aspartate transaminase; Biomarkers - blood; blood serum; body weight; Cholesterol, Dietary - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Cytoprotection; diet; Diet, High-Fat; Disease Models, Animal; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified - blood; fatty liver; Fatty Liver - blood; Fatty Liver - etiology; Fatty Liver - genetics; Fatty Liver - pathology; Fatty Liver - prevention & control; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - blood; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - etiology; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - genetics; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - pathology; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - prevention & control; free fatty acids; Gynostemma - chemistry; Gynostemma pentaphyllum; high density lipoprotein cholesterol; lipid metabolism; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Liver - ultrastructure; lovastatin; low density lipoprotein cholesterol; Male; males; malondialdehyde; Malondialdehyde - blood; medicinal plants; Medicine; messenger RNA; Mitochondria, Liver - drug effects; Mitochondria, Liver - metabolism; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; oxidative stress; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Pharmacy; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Preparations - isolation & purification; Plant Preparations - pharmacology; PPAR alpha - drug effects; PPAR alpha - genetics; PPAR alpha - metabolism; Protective Agents - isolation & purification; Protective Agents - pharmacology; protective effect; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; silymarin; superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - blood; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides - blood; 약학
• ISSN: 0253-6269; 1976-3786
• DOI: 10.1007/s12272-012-0715-5

In the present study, the protective effects of gypenosides from Gynostemma pentaphyllum on fatty liver disease (FLD) were examined in rats treated with high fat and cholesterol diet and alcohol. Male SD rats were divided into seven groups: control, model, lovastatin, silymarin, gypenosides high-, medium- and low-treatment groups. The latter 6 groups were fed high-fat and cholesterol diet and administered alcohol intragastricly once a day. Body weight was measured every week for 10 weeks, and the hepatic index was measured after 10 weeks. Compared with model group, levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acid (FFA), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, malondialdehyde (MDA), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, and hepatocyte apoptosis were significantly decreased in gypenosides groups; while serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in both serum and hepatic tissue and mRNA and protein level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) were significantly increased. Moreover, hepatic steatosis and mitochondrial damage were improved. These results suggested that gypenosides could prevent liver fatty degeneration in fatty liver disease through modulating lipid metabolism, ameliorating liver dysfunction and reducing oxidative stress.