title: The protective effect of total phenolics from Oenanthe Javanica on acute liver failure induced by D-galactosamine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Water dropwort [Oenanthe javanica (O. javanica)] is an aquatic perennial herb cultivated in East Asian countries. It has been popularly used in traditional Chinese medicine which is beneficial for the treatment of many diseases, including jaundice and various types of chronic and acute hepatitis. In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effect of total phenolics from O. javanica (TPOJ) against D-galactosamine (D-GalN) induced liver injury in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hepatoprotective activity of TPOJ (125, 250 and 500mg/kg) was investigated on D-GalN (800mg/kg)-induced liver damages in mice. Blood and liver were collected for biochemical and microscopic analysis. RT-PCR was used to determine the changes in hepatic nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Protein levels of iNOS, COX-2, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) were determined by western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the animal studies, TPOJ could improve the survival of acute liver failure model significantly and prevente the D-GalN-induced elevation of the serum enzymatic markers and nonenzymatic markers levels significantly. Meanwhile, TPOJ-treatment decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and elevated the content of glutathione (GSH) in the liver as compared to those in the D-GalN group. Hepatic activities and protein expressions of antioxidative enzymes, including SOD, GPx, and CAT were enhanced dose dependently with TPOJ. At the same time, application of TPOJ effectively suppressed the D-GalN-induced proinflammatory mRNA and protein expression of iNOS and COX-2. Subsequently, the serum levels of proinflammatory mediators, nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were reduced. Additionally, histological analyses also showed that TPOJ reduced the extent of liver lesions induced by D-GalN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our investigation demonstrated the hepatoprotective activity of TPOJ and revealed that TPOJ attributed its significance in the traditional use for treating liver diseases.
authors.affiliation: Hospital of Institute of Aviation Medicine of Air Force, Beijing 100142, China; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, China. Electronic address: guoair@163.com.
authors.forename: Guo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100039, China. Electronic address: huangzhengming@cmea.org.cn.
authors.forename: Zheng-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100039, China. Electronic address: frog207@163.com.
authors.forename: Qing-Chuan
authors.initials: QC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, 302 Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100039, China. Electronic address: YHS786@139.com.
authors.forename: Yan-Quan
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: 458 Hospital of PLA, Guangzhou 510062, China. Electronic address: ywc458@163.com.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005688:Galactosamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D031050:Oenanthe / Q000737:chemistry*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010636:Phenols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012838:Silymarin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012838:Silymarin; D005688:Galactosamine
keywords: D-Galactosamine; Hepatoprotective effect; Oenanthe Javanica; Total phenolics