title: Rg1 Attenuates alcoholic hepatic damage through regulating AMP-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 signal pathways.
abstract: Rg1 has shown multiple pharmacological activities and been considered to be evaluated for hepatic protective activity, as Rg1 could modulate different pathways in various diseases. Herein we assessed its effect and potential mechanism in a newly modified ethanol model. C57BL/6 mice were fed with Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing ethanol or isocaloric maltose dextrin as control diet with or without Rg1. Meanwhile, bicyclol was treated as positive drug to compare the efficacy of Rg1 against alcoholic hepatotoxicity. According to our data, Rg1 indeed improved the survival rate and lowered the abnormal high levels of serum parameters. H&E and Oil Red O staining indicated that the condition of liver damage was mitigated by Rg1 administration. Furthermore, AMPK and Nrf2 pathways were all modulated at both RNA and protein levels. In accordance with these findings, Rg1 effectively protected against alcoholic liver injury, possibly by modulating metabolism, suppressing oxidative stress, and enhancing oxidant defense systems of Nrf2 pathway. In vitro, Rg1 has no cell toxicity and promotes Nrf2 translocate into nuclear. In summary, we demonstrate that Rg1 is a potent activator of Nrf2 pathway, and could therefore be applied for prevention of hepatic damage.
authors.affiliation: a State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacology , Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: b Key Laboratory of Diagnostics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Digital Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hunan University of Chinese Medicine , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Shi-Feng
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: a State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacology , Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Cong-Yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: a State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacology , Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacology , Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacology , Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing , China.|c College of Pharmacy , Hunan University of Chinese Medicine , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Nai-Hong
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015394:Molecular Structure; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D036145:Ginsenosides; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; C035054:ginsenoside Rg1
keywords: Rg1; alcoholic liver disease; antioxidant activity; hepatic protective effect; metabolism