title: [Effect of apigenin on protein expressions of PPARs in liver tissues of rats with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of apigenin on the protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in liver tissues of rats with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
  
  
  METHODS
  The NASH rat model was established by feeding of a high-fat diet. Unmodeled rats served as the normal controls. The modeled rats were divided into a model control group, Essentiale treatment grouP(300 mg/kg/day),and three apigenin treatment groups for low-dose (15 mg/kg/day), moderate-dose (30 mg/kg/day) and high-dose (60 mg/kg/day). After 13 weeks of treatment,changes in insulin sensitivity from pre-treatment baseline were assessed by measuring the alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST),total cholesterol (TC),triglycerides (TG),low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C),fasting blood glucose (FBG) and fasting insulin (FINS).The liver index and HOMA-IR were also calculated.Protein and gene expression of PPARα and PPARgamma in liver tissue were assessed by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.Statistical analysis was performed by the LSD test and Games-Howell test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The apigenin-treated groups showed a significantly greater change in insulin sensitivity than the untreated model group,with the most significant change occurring in the high-dose grouP(P less than 0.05).Compared with the untreated model group,the apigenin-treated groups showed lower levels of ALT (95.4+/-7.3),AST (183.7+/-14.3),TC (1.61+/-0.25),TG (1.23+/-0.21),LDL-C (1.86+/-0.14),FBG (5.29+/-1.45) and FINS (0.76+/-0.86),but a higher level of HDL-C (1.04+/-0.17); again,the high-dose group showed the greatest change (all P less than 0.05).Compared to the untreated model group,the apigenin-treated groups showed significantly lower liver index (3.75+/-0.25 vs.2.90+/-0.17) and HOMA-IR (1.34+/-0.06 vs.0.18+/-0.04),with the high-dose group showing the greatest change (both P less than 0.05). Compared to the untreated model group,the apigenin-treated groups showed higher levels of protein and mRNA of PPARα (18.27+/-4.05 and 0.63+/-0.02,respectively) and PPARgamma(8.48+/-5.05 and 0.39+/-0.02),with the high-dose group showing the greatest change (all P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apigenin can improve glucose tolerance,lipid metabolism and insulin resistance while decreasing blood levels of TC,TG,LDL-C,FBG,FINS and HOMA-IR,and increasing HDL-C in NASH,as shown in a high-fat diet induced rat model, and may have therapeutic potential.
authors.affiliation: The Xixi Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310023, China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Rangxiao
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Hongping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Fugen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yidan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Zhaobin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D047310:Apigenin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D047493:PPAR alpha; D047495:PPAR gamma; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors; D014280:Triglycerides; D047310:Apigenin; D002784:Cholesterol; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase