Antifibrotic effect of total flavonoids of Astmgali Radix on dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver cirrhosis in rats

• Published in: Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2017, Vol.23 (1), p.48-54
• Main Authors: Cheng, Yang, Mai, Jing-yin, Wang, Mei-feng, Chen, Gao-feng, Ping, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actins - metabolism; Animals; Blotting, Western; Body Weight - drug effects; Collagen Type I - metabolism; Dimethylnitrosamine; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Flavonoids - therapeutic use; Hydroxyproline - metabolism; Liver - drug effects; Liver - pathology; Liver Cirrhosis - blood; Liver Cirrhosis - drug therapy; Liver Cirrhosis - genetics; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Organ Size - drug effects; Original Article; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; PPAR gamma - genetics; PPAR gamma - metabolism; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear - genetics; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Uncoupling Protein 2 - genetics; Uncoupling Protein 2 - metabolism
• ISSN: 1672-0415; 1993-0402
• DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2627-6

Objective To study the effect of total flavonoids of Astmgali Radix (TFA) on liver cirrhosis induced with dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in rats, and the effect on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and farnesoid X receptor (FXR). Methods Fifty-three Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (10 rats) and a DMN group (43 rats). Rats in the DMN group were given DMN for 4 weeks and divided randomly into a model group (14 rats), a low-dosage TFA group (14 rats) and a high-dosage TFA group (15 rats) in the 3rd week. Rats were given TFA for 4 weeks at the dosage of 15 and 30 mg/kg in the low- and high-TFA groups, respectively. At the end of the experiment blood and liver samples were collected. Serum liver function and liver tissue hydroxyproline content were determined. hematoxylin-eosin (HE), Sirus red and immunohistochemical stainings of collagen I, smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was conducted in paraffinembedded liver tissue slices. Real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was adopted to determine PPARγ, UCP2 and FXR mRNA levels. Western blot was adopted to determine protein levels of collagen I, α-SMA, PPARγ, UCP2 and FXR. Results Compared with the model group, TFA increased the ratio of liver/body weight (low-TFA group P