Seed and bark extracts of Acacia catechu protects liver from acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity by modulating oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes and liver function enzymes in Wistar rat model

Pharmacological benefits of Acacia against metabolic diseases: intestinal-level bioactivities and favorable modulation of gut microbiota

CONTEXT

Obesity-associated chronic metabolic disease is a leading contributor to mortality globally. Plants belonging to the genera Acacia are routinely used for the treatment of diverse metabolic diseases under different ethnomedicinal practices around the globe.

OBJECTIVE

The current review centres around the pharmacological evidence of intestinal-level mechanisms for metabolic health benefits by Acacia spp.

RESULTS

Acacia spp. increase the proportions of gut commensals (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) and reduces the population of opportunistic pathobionts (Escherichia coli and Clostridium). Acacia gum that is rich in fibre, can also be a source of prebiotics to improve gut health. The intestinal-level anti-inflammatory activities of Acacia are likely to contribute to improvements in gut barrier function that would prevent gut-to-systemic endotoxin translocation and limit "low-grade" inflammation associated with metabolic diseases.

CONCLUSION

This comprehensive review for the first time has emphasised the intestinal-level benefits of Acacia spp. which could be instrumental in limiting the burden of metabolic disease.

A comprehensive review of Shengdeng in Tibetan medicine: textual research, herbal and botanical distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology

"Shengdeng", a group of Tibetan medicines with diverse biological origins, has long been utilized in Tibet for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It showcases remarkable efficacy in alleviating rheumatism, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. This study aimed to clarify the plant species used as "Shengdeng" and summarize their botanical distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology to promote its utilization and development. "Shengdeng" is derived from a remarkable collection of 14 plant species belonging to six distinct families. Extensive phytochemical investigations have led to the identification of 355 chemical constituents within "Shengdeng". Pharmacological studies conducted on "Shengdeng" have revealed a wide range of beneficial properties, including antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arthritic activities. Notably, flavonoids and triterpenoids emerge as the predominant groups among these constituents, contributing to the therapeutic potential and diverse applications of "Shengdeng". The present review provides a concise summary of the recent advancements in textual research concerning the herbal and botanical distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of "Shengdeng". It is crucial to note that future research on "Shengdeng" should prioritize the analysis of its active ingredients and the establishment of rigorous quality standards. These aspects are essential for ensuring consistency, efficacy, and safety in its clinical application.

The Protective Effect and Mechanism of a Phytochemical Extract from the Wild Vegetable Shutou (Crateva unilocularis Buch.) against Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury in Mice

Acetaminophen (APAP) abuse is a common public health problem which can cause severe liver damage. However, strategies for dealing with this situation safely and effectively are very limited. The goal of the current work was to evaluate the protection and potential molecular mechanisms of an ethanol extract from shoots of the wild vegetable shutou (Crateva unilocularis Buch.) (ECS) against APAP-induced liver damage in mice. Mice orally received ECS for seven days (300 or 600 mg/kg b.w. per day) before being intraperitoneally injected with APAP (250 mg/kg). Results exhibited that ECS obviously decreased the content of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, and malondialdehyde (p < 0.05). Catalase and superoxide dismutase were notably restored (p < 0.05), and the content of reduced glutathione was obviously increased (p < 0.05). Moreover, ECS significantly inhibited the secretion of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α (p < 0.05). Further analyses of the mechanisms showed that ECS may alleviate oxidative stress in the liver by increasing the expression of the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 and NADH quinone oxidoreductase 1 proteins, and may suppress liver inflammation by inhibiting the expression of the phosphorylated-inhibitor kappa B alpha/inhibitor kappa B alpha, phosphorylated-nuclear factor κB/nuclear factor κB, and cyclooxygenase-2 proteins. Meanwhile, ECS inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis by enhancing B-cell lymphoma gene 2 and suppressing Bcl-2-associated X protein. In summary, ECS may be used as a dietary supplement to prevent the liver damage caused by APAP abuse.

Potential effect of luteolin, epiafzelechin, and albigenin on rats under cadmium-induced inflammatory insult: In silico and in vivo approach

Introduction: Cadmium(Cd) an industrial poison present abundantly in the environment, causes human toxicity by an inflammatory process. Chronic exposure of cadmium can cause a number of molecular lesions that could be relevant to oncogenesis, through indirect or epigenetic mechanisms, potentially including abnormal activation of oncogenes and suppression of apoptosis by depletion of antioxidants. As induction of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is linked to inflammatory processes, use of luteolin, epiafzelechin, and albigenin alone or in different combinations may be used as anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents. Methods: We, herein, performed in silico experiments to check the binding affinity of phytochemicals and their therapeutic effect against COX-2 in cadmium administered rats. Wistar albino rats were given phytochemicals in different combinations to check their anti-inflammatory activities against cadmium intoxication. The level of alanine aminotransferases (ALT), 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE), 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), isoprostanes (IsoP-2α), COX-2, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were estimated with their respective ELISA and spectrophotometric methods. Results: The generated results show that phytocompounds possessed good binding energy potential against COX-2, and common interactive behavior was observed in all docking studies. Moreover, the level of ALT, 4HNE, 8-OHdG, TNF-α, IsoP-2α, malondialdehyde, and COX-2 were significantly increased in rats with induced toxicity compared to the control group, whereas in combinational therapy of phytocompounds, the levels were significantly decreased in the group. Discussion: Taken together, luteolin, epiafzelechin, and albigenin can be used as anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents for future novel drug design, and thus it may have therapeutic importance against cadmium toxicity.

Quality Evaluation of Market Acacia catechu by Fingerprint-Chemical Pattern Recognition

Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd, a leguminous plant, is included in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and is mainly used to treat eczema, mouth ulcers, diarrhea, bruising, and traumatic hemorrhage. However, there are imported and domestic Acacia catechu samples available in China, and their quality and price are very different, which seriously affects the safety and stability of their clinical application. Importantly, there is no simple and effective method for identifying or classifying grades of Acacia catechu. In this study, 47 batches of commercial Acacia catechu were used for identifying or classifying grades of Acacia catechu using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with chemometric analysis. Firstly, gradient elution was adopted with 0.05% phosphoric acid water (A)-methanol (B) as the mobile phase to establish chromatographic conditions. The HPLC chromatograms of 47 batches of Acacia catechu samples were analyzed by the “Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM” software (version 2012A). The common peaks of Acacia catechu were identified to evaluate the similarity. Based on the determination results of fingerprint chromatographic peak area, the quality of the collected Acacia catechu was evaluated by chemometric methods such as CA, PCA, and OPLS-DA. The results showed that the collected Acacia catechu samples were significantly divided into three categories. The first-class samples were all imported Acacia catechu except S9 sample, which was domestic Acacia catechu; the second-class samples were partly domestic Acacia catechu and partly imported Acacia catechu; and the third-class samples were all domestic Acacia catechu. Moreover, OPLS-DA of 47 batches of samples showed that the contents of catechin and the total contents of catechin and epicatechin could be used as key indicators for assessing the quality of Acacia catechu. The developed HPLC fingerprint and quantitative analysis method of multi-indicator components can be used for classification and quality evaluation of market Acacia catechu, which has a significant reference value for developing Acacia catechu grade quality standards.

Antidiabetic potential of Catechu via assays for α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and glucose uptake in adipocytes

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Catechu is the dry water extract of barked branches or stems from Senegalia catechu(L. F.)P. J. H. Hurter & Mabb, which is used as a hypoglycemic regulator in recent researches. Potential anti-hyperglycemic components and the putative mechanisms were evaluated in this investigation.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Evaluated the hypoglycemic activity of Catechu via α-glucosidase, α-amylase inhibition assays, and glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The effects of Catechu on α-glucosidase, α-amylase inhibition assays and glucose uptake experiment were tested after the ethanol extract of Catechu (EE) was sequentially partitioned with petroleum ether (PEE), ethyl acetate (EAE), and n-butanol fractions (NBE). Next, HPLC-MS and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) database were used to detect and analyze the primary active ingredients presented in hypoglycemic fraction. In addition, in silico molecular docking study was used to evaluate the candidates' inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and α-amylase.

RESULTS

The results of α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition assays indicated that all fractions, with the exception of PEE, presented significant inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The inhibitory effect of NBE on α-glucosidase was similar to the positive control (NBE IC₅₀ = 0.3353 ± 0.1215 μg/mL; Acarbose IC₅₀ = 0.1123 ± 0.0023 μg/mL). Furthermore, the inhibitory kinetics of α-glucosidase revealed that all fractions except for PEE belong to uncompetitive type. In silico molecular docking analysis showed that the main compositions of NBE ((-)-epicatechin, cyanidin, and delphinidin) possessed superior binding capacities with α-glucosidase (3WY1 AutoDock score: 4.82 kcal/mol; -5.59 kcal/mol; -5.63 kcal/mol) and α-amylase (4GQR AutoDock score: 4.80 kcal/mol; -5.89 kcal/mol; -4.26 kcal/mol), respectively. The results of glucose uptake experiment indicated that EE, PEE, EAE, and NBE without significant promotion effect on glucose uptake rate of 3T3-L1 adipocytes (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the hypoglycemic effect of Catechu might be related to the inhibitory effects of phenols on digestive enzymes (α-glucosidase and α-amylase), and the possible active phenols were (-)-epicatechin, cyanidin, delphinidin and their derivatives, which provided scientific evidences for Catechu's traditional use to treat T2DM.

Hepatotoxicity in young adult mouse offspring after prenatal exposure to benzo(a)pyrene, and protective effect of atorvastatin

OBJECTIVES

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an environmental contaminant that interrupts the antioxidant defense and thus leads to oxidative stress and DNA damage in the liver. Atorvastatin (ATV) for reducing cholesterol has antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities. This study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure of BaP on liver toxicity and the protective role of ATV in reducing liver toxicity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, rats were distributed randomly to seven groups: I. Saline control; II. ATV (10 mg/kg); III. Corn oil; IV and V. BaP (10 and 20 mg/kg); VI and VII. ATV + BaP (10 and 20 mg/kg). BaP and ATV were administrated from gestation day 7-16 (GD7-GD16), orally. Ten weeks after the birth, female offspring were examined for oxidative stress markers, liver enzymes, and histology.

RESULTS

Data revealed that BaP significantly induced oxidative stress (decreased glutathione and increased malondialdehyde level), and disrupted the tissue structure of the liver. Moreover, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase increased in the offspring. ATV treatment along with BaP during gestation was able to bring the antioxidant status and serum liver enzymes levels relatively close to normal. As well as, histological findings showed that ATV was able to improve liver tissue structure caused by BaP.

CONCLUSION

Based on the above studies we concluded that ATV at a low dose during gestation was able to reduce liver damage caused by BaP with antioxidant properties.

A Comprehensive Review on the Chemical Composition and Pharmacological Activities of Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd

With the emergence of epidemics, pandemics, and infectious diseases, several research activities have been carried out on natural products to tackle them. As there are structural diversities in natural products, researchers are focused on exploring them for treatment and/or management of various infections and/or diseases. Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd. belonging to the order Fabales and family Fabaceae shows a wide range of pharmacological functions in the management of diseases in humankind. This review was carried out to gather and provide information about the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of A. catechu through the literature survey of scientific articles. On preliminary assessments, A. catechu is demonstrated as a significant wellspring of bioactive compounds with a wide range of biological and pharmaceutical applications such as antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, and so on. Although the metabolites from the plant are reported with diverse pharmacological applications, there is little information in regards to toxicity and clinical trials on bioactive compounds of this plant. Further research on diverse bioactive compounds from the plant is required to develop them as a successful potent drug.

Protective effect and mechanism of chitooligosaccharides on acetaminophen-induced liver injury

Currently, drug-induced liver injury caused by acetaminophen (APAP) is the second leading cause of human liver transplantation. The only clinical antidote treatment for APAP-induced liver injury is N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which has many side effects. Chitooligosaccharides (COS) are processed from naturally occurring chitin through chemical desalting and deproteinization, biological enzymatic hydrolysis and other processes. In this study, we constructed in vitro and in vivo models of APAP-induced liver injury to study COS of two molecular weights (MWs), which are COST (MW ≤ 1000 Da) and COSM (MW ≤ 3000 Da). The results showed that COST and COSM can significantly reduce the levels of serum ALT and AST and liver MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and increase the levels and activity of GSH, SOD, GSH-Px and CAT. A mechanistic study found that COST and COSM can significantly reduce the expression of liver CYP2E1, Keap1, p-ASK1/ASK1, p-MKK4/MKK4, p-JNK/JNK, Caspase-3 and Bax and increase the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, eNOS, SOD and Bcl-XL. COST and COSM can inhibit toxic APAP metabolism, inhibit oxidative damage and the apoptosis pathway, increase activation of the liver antioxidant pathway, and ultimately ameliorate APAP-induced liver oxidative damage.

Comprehensive chemical characterization and biological evaluation of two Acacia species: A. nilotica and A. ataxacantha

The genus Acacia (Family Leguminosae) is composed of several medicinal plants used for treating miscellaneous diseases. Amid the important members of this genus, A. nilotica and A. ataxacantha are widely employed for their tremendous healing properties. Hence, this present work aimed to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and investigate the antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-enzyme and antimicrobial potentials of methanolic and water extracts of leaves and stem bark of A. nilotica and A. ataxacantha obtained by maceration and ultrasonication. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were obtained in the range of 33.35-116.60 mg GAE/g and 0.26-49.90 mg RE/g, respectively, with the methanolic leaf extracts of both species showing the highest contents. Moreover, the methanolic extracts were observed to display higher antioxidant potentials in almost all antioxidant assays performed compared to the water extracts (ABTS: 52.66-943.81 mg TE/g, DPPH: 8.51-493.90 mg TE/g, CUPRAC: 106.39-1193.75 mg TE/g; FRAP: 31.38-416.21 mg TE/g, and phosphomolybdenum: 0.90-4.17 mM TE/g). However, the water extracts were seen to be better metal chelators than the methanolic extracts (8.47-36.85 mg EDTAE/g). Additionally, all extracts were found to exhibit anti-tyrosinase (30.79-74.80 mg KAE/g) and anti-amylase (0.10-1.10 mM ACAE/g) properties. With the exception of a few extracts, glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitions (1.69-2.12 mg ACAE/g and 0.42-2.61 mg GALAE/g, respectively) were also demonstrated. While the methanolic extracts of both species showed antimicrobial potency against all the 18 tested microorganisms (gram positive, gram negative, and fungi), the water extracts were effective only against the gram positive bacteria. The extracts were also found to exhibit antiproliferative effects on SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, with the methanolic extracts showing higher cytotoxic potential than the water extracts. Therefore, this study showed these species to be good sources of antioxidants, enzyme inhibitors, antimicrobials and antiproliferative agents, which could be of great interest for their applications as natural bioactive ingredients in the development of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.

The potential effect of phytochemicals and herbal plant remedies for treating drug-induced hepatotoxicity: a review

Drug-induced liver injury significantly caused by synthetic drugs, and other xenobiotics contribute to clinical hepatic dysfunction, which has been a substantial challenge for both patients and physicians. Traditional medicines used as an alternative therapy because of their pharmacological benefits, less or no side effects, and enormous availability in nature. Phytochemicals are essential ingredients of plants that reduce necrotic cell death, restore the antioxidant defence mechanism, limit oxidative stress, and prevent the inflammation of tissue and dysfunction of the mitochondria. In this review, we principally focused on the potential effect of the herbal plants and their phytochemicals in treating drug-induced hepatotoxicity.

Vitamin D deficiency exacerbates hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation during acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in mice

Several experiments confirmed that vitamin D3 protected against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced acute liver injury (ALI). This research aimed to evaluate the influence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) on APAP-induced ALI. In VDD and VDD + APAP groups, mice were fed with VDD diet. In APAP and VDD + APAP groups, mice were intraperitoneally injected with a sublethal dose of APAP (150 mg/kg). A sublethal dose of APAP caused a slight elevation of ALT and AST. Interestingly, APAP-induced elevation of ALT and AST was aggravated in VDD-fed mice. APAP-induced hepatic necrosis was exacerbated in VDD-fed mice. In addition, APAP-induced hepatocyte death, measured using TUNEL assay, was exacerbated in VDD-fed mice. Additional experiment showed that APAP-induced hepatic GSH depletion and lipid peroxidation were exacerbated in VDD-fed mice. Moreover, APAP-induced upregulation of antioxidant genes, such as hepatic heme oxygenase-1 (Ho-1), glutathione peroxidase (Gshpx), superoxide dismutase 1 (Sod1) and catalase enzymes (Cat), was aggravated in VDD-fed mice. Although a sublethal dose of APAP did not cause hepatic inflammation, hepatic proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as Tnf-α, Kc, Mcp-1 and Mip2, were upregulated in VDD-fed mice treated with APAP. These results provide experimental data that VDD exacerbates hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation during APAP-induced ALI.

Herbal Therapy for the Treatment of Acetaminophen-Associated Liver Injury: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is the leading cause of drug-induced liver injury worldwide, and mitochondrial oxidative stress is considered the major event responsible for APAP-associated liver injury (ALI). Despite the identification of N-acetyl cysteine, a reactive oxygen species scavenger that is regarded as an effective clinical treatment, therapeutic effectiveness remains limited due to rapid disease progression and diagnosis at a late phase, which leads to the need to explore various therapeutic approaches. Since the early 1990s, a number of natural products and herbs have been found to have hepatoprotective effects against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in terms of acute liver failure prevention and therapeutic amelioration of ALI. In this review, we summarize the hepatoprotective effects and mechanisms of medicinal plants, including herbs and fruit extracts, along with future perspectives that may provide guidance to improve the current status of herbal therapy against ALI.

Lactobionic Acid Conjugated Quercetin Loaded Organically Modified Silica Nanoparticles Mitigates Cyclophosphamide Induced Hepatocytotoxicity

Objective

The study was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of lactobionic acid (LA) conjugated quercetin (Q) loaded organically modified silica nanoparticles (LA-Q-ORMOSIL) with bulk quercetin to mitigate cyclophosphamide (CP) induced liver injury.

Methodology

Q-ORMOSIL nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, Zeta sizer, FTIR and EDX. Further, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release kinetic study was done. Q-ORMOSIL nanoparticles surface were modified with lactobionic acid, a ligand for the asialoglycoprotein receptor on the hepatocyte surface. The hepatoprotective effects of Q-ORMOSIL and LA-Q-ORMOSIL nanoparticles were evaluated in vivo. Cyclophosphamide (20 mg/kg/day, i.p) was co-administered for seven days with bulk quercetin (50mg/kg/day) and quercetin nanoparticles (50µg/kg/day). After seven days, the number of biomarkers for liver function test and oxidative stress were determined in liver homogenate. Histopathological changes were also analyzed in control and treated liver tissues.

Results

Physiochemical characterization of LA-Q-ORMOSIL nanoparticles depicts that the particles formed were of approx. 80 nm, spherical, monodispersed in nature and showed sustain drug release in in vitro study. Our results further suggested that Q-ORMOSIL and LA-Q-ORMOSIL nanoparticles significantly decreased tissue TBARS, ROS levels and ALT, AST, and ALP activities compared to CP induced group. On the other hand, tissue antioxidant levels (GSH, GST, and catalase) showed a significant increase in LA-Q-ORMOSIL treated group compared to the CP treated group confirming its high therapeutic efficacy during liver injury.

Conclusion

Targeted nanoquercetin demonstrated a significant hepatoprotective effect compared to bulk quercetin against CP-induced hepatotoxicity and it considerably reduced bulk quercetin dose level to many folds. Bulk quercetin has low bioavailability and thus, from obtained data we suggest that LA-Q-ORMOSIL nanoparticles provide high therapeutic value in protecting experimental animals against CP-induced liver injury. We also propose multifunctional dye-doped LA-modified ORMOSIL nanoparticles for future studies in facilitating nanoparticles uptake to hepatocytes for liver diagnosis and treatment.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles improve liver regeneration after acetaminophen-induced liver injury and partial hepatectomy in rats

Background and aims

Cerium oxide nanoparticles are effective scavengers of reactive oxygen species and have been proposed as a treatment for oxidative stress-related diseases. Consequently, we aimed to investigate the effect of these nanoparticles on hepatic regeneration after liver injury by partial hepatectomy and acetaminophen overdose.

Methods

All the in vitro experiments were performed in HepG2 cells. For the acetaminophen and partial hepatectomy experimental models, male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: (1) nanoparticles group, which received 0.1 mg/kg cerium nanoparticles i.v. twice a week for 2 weeks before 1 g/kg acetaminophen treatment, (2) N-acetyl-cysteine group, which received 300 mg/kg of N-acetyl-cysteine i.p. 1 h after APAP treatment and (3) partial hepatectomy group, which received the same nanoparticles treatment before partial hepatectomy. Each group was matched with vehicle-controlled rats.

Results

In the partial hepatectomy model, rats treated with cerium oxide nanoparticles showed a significant increase in liver regeneration, compared with control rats. In the acetaminophen experimental model, nanoparticles and N-acetyl-cysteine treatments decreased early liver damage in hepatic tissue. However, only the effect of cerium oxide nanoparticles was associated with a significant increment in hepatocellular proliferation. This treatment also reduced stress markers and increased cell cycle progression in hepatocytes and the activation of the transcription factor NF-κB in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that the nanomaterial cerium oxide, besides their known antioxidant capacities, can enhance hepatocellular proliferation in experimental models of liver regeneration and drug-induced hepatotoxicity.

The Protective Effect of Sonneratia apetala Fruit Extract on Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury in Mice

Acute liver injury is a common consequence of taking overdose of acetaminophen (APAP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effect of a mangrove plant Sonneratia apetala fruit extract (SAFE) on APAP-induced liver injury in mice. Mice were orally pretreated with SAFE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) daily for one week. The control and APAP groups were intragastrically administered with distilled water, and NAC group was treated with N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) before APAP exposure. The results manifested that SAFE significantly improved survival rates, attenuated hepatic histological damage, and decreased the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in serum in APAP-exposed mice. SAFE treatment also increased glutathione (GSH) level and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, enhanced catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), as well as reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) level in liver. In addition, the formation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and elevation of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in APAP-exposed mice were inhibited after SAFE treatment. And SAFE also displayed high DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power in vitro. The main bioactive components of SAFE such as total phenol, flavonoid, condensed tannin, and carbohydrate were determined. The current study proved that SAFE exerted potential protective effect against APAP-induced acute liver injury, which might be associated with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of SAFE.