Exploration of the underlying mechanisms of isoniazid/rifampicin-induced liver injury in mice using an integrated proteomics and metabolomics approach

Research progress on rodent models and its mechanisms of liver injury

The liver is the most important organ for biological transformation in the body and is crucial for maintaining the body's vital activities. Liver injury is a serious pathological condition that is commonly found in many liver diseases. It has a high incidence rate, is difficult to cure, and is prone to recurrence. Liver injury can cause serious harm to the body, ranging from mild to severe fatty liver disease. If the condition continues to worsen, it can lead to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, ultimately resulting in liver failure or liver cancer, which can seriously endanger human life and health. Therefore, establishing an rodent model that mimics the pathogenesis and severity of clinical liver injury is of great significance for better understanding the pathogenesis of liver injury patients and developing more effective clinical treatment methods. The author of this article summarizes common chemical liver injury models, immune liver injury models, alcoholic liver injury models, drug-induced liver injury models, and systematically elaborates on the modeling methods, mechanisms of action, pathways of action, and advantages or disadvantages of each type of model. The aim of this study is to establish reliable rodent models for researchers to use in exploring anti-liver injury and hepatoprotective drugs. By creating more accurate theoretical frameworks, we hope to provide new insights into the treatment of clinical liver injury diseases.

Asiatic acid ameliorates rifampicin- and isoniazid-induced liver injury in vivo by regulating sphingolipid metabolism and mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathways

In this study, we aimed to determine whether asiatic acid (AA) exerts any therapeutic effects on rifampicin (RFP)- and isoniazid (INH)-induced liver injury and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Briefly, liver injury in mice was induced via RFP and INH administration. We investigated the effects and potential action mechanisms of AA on liver injury using transcriptomics, metabolomics and various examinations. We found that AA significantly ameliorated the pathological changes in liver tissues and decreased the transaminase activity, inflammation and oxidative stress damage. Transcriptomics revealed 147 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the AA and model groups that were enriched in metabolic and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways. Metabolomics revealed 778 differentially expressed metabolites between the AA and model groups. Furthermore, integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses revealed strong correlations between DEGs and differentially expressed metabolites and indicated that AA regulates the sphingolipid metabolism by inhibiting the expression of delta 4-desaturase, sphingolipid 1. Experimental results confirmed that AA inhibited the MAPK signalling pathway. In summary, AA inhibits inflammation and oxidative stress damage by regulating the sphingolipid metabolism pathway and blocking the MAPK signalling pathway, thereby relieving the RFP/INH-induced liver injury.

The Effect of Bergenin on Isonicotinic Acid Hydrazide and Rifampicin-Induced Liver Injury Revealed by RNA Sequencing

Bergenin (BER), a natural component of polyphenols, has a variety of pharmacological activities, especially in improving drug metabolism, reducing cholestasis, anti-oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BER on liver injury induced by isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) in mice. The mice model of liver injury was established with INH (100 mg/kg)+RIF (100 mg/kg), and then different doses of BER were used to intervene. The pathological morphology and biochemical indicators of mice were detected. Meanwhile, RNA sequencing was performed to screen the differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways. Finally, critical differentially expressed genes were verified by qRT-PCR and Western blot. RNA sequencing results showed that 707 genes were significantly changed in the INH+RIF group compared with the Control group, and 496 genes were significantly changed after the BER intervention. These differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the drug metabolism, bile acid metabolism, Nrf2 pathway and TLR4 pathway. The validation results of qRT-PCR and Western blot were consistent with the RNA sequencing. Therefore, BER alleviated INH+RIF-induced liver injury in mice. The mechanism of BER improving INH+RIF-induced liver injury was related to regulating drug metabolism enzymes, bile acid metabolism, Nrf2 pathway and TLR4 pathway.