title: The biphasic dose effect of lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) pulp phenolic extract on alcoholic liver disease in mice.
abstract: Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), a subtropical fruit grown widely in Southeast Asia, has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for liver protection. Our previous study showed that phenolics from lychee pulp had hepatoprotective activity against restraint stress-induced liver injury. The present study investigated the protective effects of lychee pulp phenolic extract (LPPE) on ethanol-induced liver injury and the mechanism responsible for these effects. Mice were divided into four groups and subjected to either a control liquid diet (control group, CON), a 4% (w/v) ethanol-containing liquid diet (ethanol group, EtOH), a 4% (w/v) ethanol-containing liquid diet supplemented with 0.4 g L-1LPPE (low dose LPPE-supplemented group, EtOH + L-LPPE), or a 4% (w/v) ethanol-containing liquid diet supplemented with 0.8 g L-1LPPE (high dose LPPE-supplemented group, EtOH + H-LPPE) for 8 weeks. The ethanol-induced hepatic steatosis and increases of triglyceride levels in the serum and liver were ameliorated by L-LPPE supplementation but aggravated by H-LPPE supplementation. Moreover, L-LPPE supplementation improved the antioxidant status, reduced the nuclear translocation of nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and reduced the expression of Nrf2 target genes in the liver. H-LPPE supplementation resulted in the improved antioxidant status and reduced the expression of Nrf2 target genes. Furthermore, L-LPPE suppressed the expression of lipid synthesis genes and increased the expression of fatty acid β-oxidation genes. However, H-LPPE increased the expression of genes responsible for lipid synthesis and uptake and reduced the expression of fatty acid β-oxidation genes. Additionally, L-LPPE supplementation effectively decreased the serum endotoxin level and reversed ethanol-induced alterations in the intestinal microbiota composition. Collectively, LPPE showed biphasic effects on ethanol-induced liver injury in mice, indicating that a moderate intake of LPPE or Litchi pulp could be useful for the prevention and control of alcoholic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Ruifen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Zhencheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fermentation, Purification and Analysis, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, China. liudongsz@szpt.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China. mwzhh@vip.tom.com.
authors.forename: Mingwei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D032125:Litchi / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; C495636:Nfe2l2 protein, mouse; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014280:Triglycerides