title: Paeoniflorin protects against concanavalin A-induced hepatitis in mice.
abstract: Paeoniflorin (PF) is one of the main effective components of the total glucosides of peony, which has been reported to have anti-inflammatory ability. However, the effects of paeoniflorin on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced hepatitis have not been carefully examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of paeoniflorin and elucidate potential mechanisms of paeoniflorin on Con A-induced hepatitis. C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into the following four experimental groups: PBS group, PF group, Con A group, and Con A+PF group. Mice received paeoniflorin (50mg/kg) by tail vein before Con A intravenous administration. We found that paeoniflorin pretreatment can significantly reduce the elevated plasma aminotransferase levels and liver necrosis in Con A-induced hepatitis. Also, paeoniflorin pretreatment suppressed the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-6), compared with Con A group. Meanwhile, paeoniflorin pretreatment decreased CD4(+), CD8(+) and NKT cell infiltration in the liver. Besides, we observed that paeoniflorin pretreatment can decrease the expression level of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 mRNA or protein in liver tissues. Further results showed that paeoniflorin pretreatment was capable of suppressing the activation of the NF-κB pathway by inhibiting IκBα kinase and p65 phosphorylation in Con A-induced liver injury. These results suggest that paeoniflorin pretreatment protects mice against Con A-induced liver injury via inhibition of several inflammatory mediators and, at least in part, by suppressing CD4(+), CD8(+) and NKT cell infiltration in liver. The beneficial effect of paeoniflorin may be related to the downregulation of TLR4 expression and the inhibition of NF-κB activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: mingshengch@126.com.
authors.forename: Mingsheng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: lijuncm90@126.com.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: luonbluonb@126.com.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: crazyfxf@sina.com.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: lulu060782@163.com.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: zjnbysskq@163.com.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, No. 113 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Ningbo 315040, China. Electronic address: psb016@126.com.
authors.forename: Shaobin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005960:Glucosides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D029596:Paeonia / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood; D006027:Glycosides
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D003208:Concanavalin A; D016207:Cytokines; D005960:Glucosides; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D039821:Monoterpenes; D016328:NF-kappa B; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D000637:Transaminases; C015423:peoniflorin; D006027:Glycosides
keywords: Concanavalin A; Hepatitis; Lymphocyte; NF-κB; Paeoniflorin; TLR4