title: Hepatoprotective effect of Coreopsis tinctoria flowers against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coreopsis tinctoria is a traditional remedy for the management of various diseases including hepatitis. The hepatoprotective role of the plant is not scientifically explored till now. This study was designed to investigate the hepatoprotective potentials of the ethanol extract from C. tinctoria (CTEtOH) using an animal model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  CTEtOH (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) and silymarin (200 mg/kg) were administered to the experimental mice for 7 days followed by 0.2% CCl4(10 mL/kg of body weight (bw), ip), then all mice were sacrificed after 24 h. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured. Histological analysis of liver was performed. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzymatic activities were also measured..
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results revealed that the serum ALT and AST levels significantly decreased after treatment with CTEtOH. Moreover, histological analyses indicated that CTEtOH (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) and silymarin reduced the extent of CCl4-induced liver lesions. CTEtOH (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) reduced the levels of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β). Furthermore, CTEtOH (1.0 g/kg) reduced the level of IL-6. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, namely superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase, significantly increased after treatment with CTEtOH (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) and that of glutathione peroxidase increased after treatment with 1.0 g/kg of CTEtOH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate the hepatoprotective effect of CTEtOH against CCl4-induced acute liver injury in mice, and the underlying hepatoprotective mechanisms are associated with antioxidant and antiproinflammatory activities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Botanicals and Health Applications, College of Biotechnology and Bio-resources, Da-Yeh University, 168 University Rd, Dacun, Chang-Hua, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jen-Chieh
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Hsin Sheng College of Medical Care and Management, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chuan-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yun-Chieh
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Meng-Shiou
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Xinjiang academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ming-Tsuen
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Hsin Sheng College of Medical Care and Management, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. chunpin@hsc.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chun-Pin
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan, Republic of China. whpeng@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Wen-Huang
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000473:pathology*; D031945:Coreopsis / Q000737:chemistry*; D016207:Cytokines; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D010936:Plant Extracts; D020011:Protective Agents; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D010088:Oxidoreductases
keywords: Carbon tetrachloride; Coreopsis tinctoria; Hepatoprotective