title: Protective effects of Penthorum chinense Pursh against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Penthorum chinense Pursh (Penthoraceae) has been used as a Miao ethnomedicine for the treatment of jaundice, cholecystitis, edema, infectious hepatitis and anti-drunk hangover in China. The aim of present study is to investigate the possible protective effects of Penthorum chinense against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing alcohol or isocaloric maltose dextrin as control diet with or without aqueous extract of Penthorum chinense (PCP, 5.15 and 10.30 g/kg/BW) for 4 weeks. Silymarin (86 mg/kg) was used as positive control to compare the efficacy of PCP against chronic ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with PCP (10.30 g/kg) significantly reduced the increases in serum ALT and AST levels, hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammatory cytokines (i.e. TNF-α, IL-6), which were induced by chronic ethanol exposure. PCP was also found to attenuate reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and malondialdehyde (MDA) level, restore the glutathione (GSH) depletion, and increase the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. In addition, PCP supplementation (10.30 g/kg) inhibited the induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), a major contributor to ethanol-mediated oxidative stress, and up-regulated the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream anti-oxidant protein heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in ethanol-treated mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that the co-treatment with aqueous extract of Penthorum chinense (10.30 g/kg) protects against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury, possibly through suppressing CYP2E1-mediated oxidative stress and enhancing the oxidant defense systems via the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Sichuan New Lotus Traditional Chinese Herb Limited Company, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Da-Yong
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wan-Sheng
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
authors.forename: Huanxing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Tao
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China. Electronic address: jbwan@umac.mo.
authors.forename: Jian-Bo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D019392:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol; D005260:Female; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; C495636:Nfe2l2 protein, mouse; D020011:Protective Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014280:Triglycerides; D000431:Ethanol; D019392:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; C496542:Hmox1 protein, mouse; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: Alcoholic liver disease; Ethanol-induced liver injury; Oxidant defense system; Oxidative stress; Penthorum chinense Pursh