Protective effects of polydatin from Polygonum cuspidatum against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in mice

• Published in: PloS one 2012-09, Vol.7 (9), p.e46574
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hong, Yu, Cheng-Hao, Jiang, Yi-Ping, Peng, Cheng, He, Kun, Tang, Jian-Yuan, Xin, Hai-Liang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Analysis; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Aquatic plants; Aspartate aminotransferase; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Biology; Carbon Tetrachloride; Care and treatment; Catalase; Catalase - metabolism; CCL4 protein; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - blood; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - drug therapy; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - pathology; Chemical properties; Chinese medicine; Cyclooxygenase-2; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Fallopia japonica - chemistry; Gene Expression; Glucosides - pharmacology; Glucosides - therapeutic use; Glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; Glutathione peroxidase; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; Glutathione transferase; Glutathione Transferase - metabolism; Health aspects; Herbal medicine; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; Injuries; Interleukin 1; Kinases; Liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; Liver - metabolism; Liver diseases; Male; Malondialdehyde; Medical treatment; Medicinal plants; Medicine; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; mRNA; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB protein; Nitric oxide; Nitric-oxide synthase; Nutritive value; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Peroxidase; Polygonum cuspidatum; Rodents; Stilbenes - pharmacology; Stilbenes - therapeutic use; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 - genetics; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 - metabolism; Transforming growth factor-b1; Tumor necrosis factor; Up-Regulation
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046574

Polydatin is one of main compounds in Polygonum cuspidatum, a plant with both medicinal and nutritional value. The possible hepatoprotective effects of polydatin on acute liver injury mice induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) and the mechanisms involved were investigated. Intraperitoneal injection of CCl(4) (50 µl/kg) resulted in a significant increase in the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), also a marked enhancement in the expression of hepatic tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and nuclearfactor-kappa B (NF-κB). On the other hand, decreased glutathione (GSH) content and activities of glutathione transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were observed following CCl(4) exposure. Nevertheless, all of these phenotypes were evidently reversed by preadministration of polydatin for 5 continuous days. The mRNA and protein expression levels of hepatic growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β(1)) were enhanced further by polydatin. These results suggest that polydatin protects mice against CCl(4)-induced liver injury through antioxidant stress and antiinflammatory effects. Polydatin may be an effective hepatoprotective agent and a promising candidate for the treatment of oxidative stress- and inflammation-related diseases.