title: Effects of salvianolic acid a on oxidative stress and liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effects of salvianolic acid A, a novel antioxidant, against oxidative stress and acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) in rats, and the mechanisms underlying its protective effects. Administration of CCl(4) to rats caused severe hepatic damage, as demonstrated by the significant increase in the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and classic histological changes including hepatocyte necrosis or apoptosis, haemorrhage, fatty degeneration, etc. Co-treatment with salvianolic acid A (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), a water-soluble extract from a Chinese traditional drug, Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza, significantly decreased CCl(4)-induced hepatotoxicity. Salvianolic acid A not only decreased serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferas levels and ameliorated histopathological manifestations in CCl(4)-treated rats, but also reduced oxidative stress, as evidenced by decreased reactive oxygen species production and malondialdehyde concentrations in the liver tissues, combined with elevated hepatic superoxide dismutase activity and gluthathione content. In addition, salvianolic acid A treatment remarkably reduced intrahepatic tumour necrosis factor-alpha concentrations and caspase-3 activities as compared with the CCl(4)-treated rats. The results suggested that treatment with salvianolic acid A provides a potent protective effect against acute hepatic damage caused by CCl(4) in rats, which may mainly be related to its antioxidative effect.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatitis Institute, Beijing You-An Hospital Affiliated with Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Yu-Fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002109:Caffeic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007773:Lactates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002109:Caffeic Acids; D007773:Lactates; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; C066201:salvianolic acid A; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione