title: Treatment with baicalein attenuates methionine-choline deficient diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats.
abstract: Baicalein, a naturally occurring flavone, has been proved as a promising chemopreventive compound for many chronic human diseases. The aim of this work was to investigate whether treatment with baicalein prevented nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) induced by methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Rats were divided into four experimental groups and fed for 8 weeks as follows: (1) control rats; (2) control rats treated with baicalein (intraperitoneal injection of 10mg/kg); (3) MCD-diet-fed rats; (4) MCD-diet-fed rats treated with baicalein. Treatment with baicalein prevented MCD-diet-induced NASH, as evidenced by reduced histological scores, apoptosis, activities of ALT and AST, and hepatic fat accumulation in rats. Treatment with baicalein abated MCD-diet-induced oxidative stress through enhancing Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and activities of SOD and catalase in livers. Treatment with baicalein preserved hepatic mitochondrial function in MCD-diet fed rats. Treatment with baicalein reduced hepatic NO formation through suppressing MCD-diet-induced iNOS activation, and suppressed MCD-diet-induced inflammation through suppressing NFκB activation and reducing IL-6 and TNFα expressions in livers. Treatment of MCD-diet fed rats with baicalein had a beneficial modulation on expression profiles of fatty acid metabolism genes in livers. The results support the investigation of baicalein as a therapeutic candidate for NASH induced by MCD diet in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Guang
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Qin
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Hang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Sheng
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Rui-Qi
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China. Electronic address: miaoxh2013@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Miao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D044950:Flavanones / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000032:analysis*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D044950:Flavanones; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C006680:baicalein; D008715:Methionine; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D002794:Choline
keywords: Baicalein; Inflammation; Methionine−choline-deficient diet; Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; Oxidative stress