title: Esculetin ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-mediated hepatic apoptosis in rats.
abstract: Esculetin (ESC) is a coumarin that is present in several plants such as Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Artemisia capillaris. Our previous study found that FR ethanol extract (FR(EtOH)) significantly ameliorated rats' liver function. This study was intended to investigate the protective mechanism of ESC in hepatic apoptosis in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride. Rat hepatic apoptosis was induced by oral administration of CCl(4). All rats were administered orally with CCl(4) (20%, 0.5 mL/rat) twice a week for 8 weeks. Rats in the ESC groups were treated daily with ESC, and silymarin group were treated daily with silymarin. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as well as the activities of the anti-oxidative enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase in the liver were measured. In addition, expression of liver apoptosis proteins and anti-apoptotic proteins were detected. ESC (100, 500 mg/kg) significantly reduced the elevated activities of serum ALT and AST caused by CCl(4) and significantly increased the activities of catalase, GPx and SOD. Furthermore, ESC (100, 500 mg/kg) significantly decreased the levels of the proapoptotic proteins (t-Bid, Bak and Bad) and significantly increased the levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL). ESC inhibited the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. In addition, the levels of activated caspase-9 and activated caspase-3 were significantly decreased in rats treated with ESC than those in rats treated with CCl(4) alone. ESC significantly reduced CCl(4)-induced hepatic apoptosis in rats.
authors: School of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih road, Taichung 404, Taiwan; E-Mails: austion23@yahoo.com.tw (Y.-C.T.); chu4224610@yahoo.com.tw (C.-S.C.); wtchang@mail.cmu.edu.tw (W.-T.C.).
authors: Yun-Chen
authors: YC
authors: Tien
authors: Jung-Chun
authors: JC
authors: Liao
authors: Chuan-Sung
authors: CS
authors: Chiu
authors: Tai-Hung
authors: TH
authors: Huang
authors: Chih-Yang
authors: CY
authors: Huang
authors: Wen-Te
authors: WT
authors: Chang
authors: Wen-Huang
authors: WH
authors: Peng
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D031661:Fraxinus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012838:Silymarin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014468:Umbelliferones / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D012838:Silymarin; D014468:Umbelliferones; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C007628:esculetin