Active Fragment of Veronica ciliata Fisch. Attenuates t-BHP-Induced Oxidative Stress Injury in HepG2 Cells through Antioxidant and Antiapoptosis Activities

Protection by Hosta ventricosa polysaccharides against oxidative damage induced by t-BHP in HepG2 cells via the JNK/Nrf2 pathway

Hosta ventricosa is a plant that can be used for medicine and diet. It has been proven to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antitumor activities, and one of its main constituents is polysaccharides. However, studies on polysaccharides of Hosta ventricosa are limited, and their physiological activities have not been clarified. Therefore, isolation, purification and characterization of Hosta ventricosa root polysaccharides (HVRPp-1) were performed in this research. Furthermore, the effect of HVRPp-1 on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells was investigated in vitro. The results showed that HVRPp-1 is a nonhomogeneous polysaccharide that could protect HepG2 cells from oxidative damage through the C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. In conclusion, this research proved the antioxidant mechanism of HVRPp-1 for the first time, providing a reliable theoretical basis for basic research on Hosta ventricosa polysaccharides and the possibility of their application in functional foods.

Phenolic Constituents, Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Activities, Enzyme Inhibition Abilities of Five Fractions from Vaccinium dunalianum Wight

The bud of Vaccinium dunalianum Wight has been traditionally consumed as health herbal tea by “Yi” people in Yunnan Province, China, which was locally named “Que Zui tea”. This paper studied the chemical constituents of five fractions from Vaccinium dunalianum, and their enzyme inhibitory effects of α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase, antioxidant activity, and cytoprotective effects on H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. The methanol extract of V. dunalianum was successively partitioned with petroleum ether (PF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EF), n-butanol (BF), and aqueous (WF) to obtain five fractions. The chemical profiling of the five fractions was analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), and 18 compounds were tentatively identified. Compared to PF, CF, BF and WF, the EF revealed the highest total phenols (TPC) and total flavonoids (TFC), and displayed the strongest enzyme inhibition ability (α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP). Furthermore, these five fractions, especially EF, could effectively inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell apoptosis on H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage protection in HepG2 cells. This inhibitory effect might be caused by the up-regulation of intracellular antioxidant enzyme activity (CAT, SOD, and GSH). The flavonoids and phenolic acids of V. dunalianum might be the bioactive substances responsible for enzyme inhibitory, antioxidant, and cytoprotective activities.

Chronic liver disease and oxidative stress - a narrative review

Introduction: Oxidative stress underlies the pathophysiology of various etiologies of chronic liver disease and contributes to the development of hepatocarcinogenesis.Areas covered: This review focuses on the impact of oxidative stress in various etiologies of chronic liver disease such as alcoholic liver disease (ALD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The efficacy of antioxidants in laboratory, animal, and clinical studies in chronic liver disease is also reviewed.Expert opinion: Currently, there are limited targeted pharmacotherapeutics for NASH and no pharmacotherapeutics for ALD and antioxidant supplementation may be useful in these conditions to improve liver function and reverse fibrosis. Antioxidants may also be used in patients with HBV or HCV infection to supplement antiviral therapies. Specific genotypes of antioxidant and prooxidant genes render patients more susceptible to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma while other individual characteristics like age, genotype, and metabolomic profiling can influence the efficacy of antioxidants on CLD. More research needs to be done to establish the safety, efficacy, and dosage of antioxidants and to establish the ideal patient profile that will benefit the most from antioxidant treatment.

Proximate Composition, Antioxidant Properties, and Hepatoprotective Activity of Three Species of Shellfish of the Pacific Coast of Russia

The objective of the present study was to investigate the proximate composition, antiradical properties and hepatoprotective activity of three species of shellfish, Corbicula japonica, Spisula sachalinensis, and Anadara broughtonii, from the coastal areas of Far East Russia. Biologically active peptides such as taurine (3.74 g/100 g protein) and ornithine (2.12 g/100 g protein) have been found in the tissues of A. broughtonii. C. japonica contains a high amount of ornithine (5.57 g/100 g protein) and taurine (0.85 g/100 g protein). The maximum DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity (36.0 µg ascorbic acid/g protein and 0.68 µmol/Trolox equiv/g protein, respectively) was determined for the tissue of C. japonica. The protein and peptide molecular weight distribution of the shellfish tissue water extracts was investigated using HPLC. It was found that the amount of low molecular weight proteins and peptides were significantly and positively correlated with radical scavenging activity (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.96), while the amount of high molecular weight proteins negatively correlated with radical scavenging activity (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = −0.86). Hepatoprotective activity, measured by the survival rate of HepG2 hepatocytes after cotreatment with t-BHP, was detected for C. japonica. The highest protection (95.3 ± 2.4%) was achieved by the cold water extract of C. japonica at the concentration of 200 mg/mL. Moreover, oral administration of hot water extract of C. japonica to rats before the treatment with CCl₄ exhibited a markedly protective effect by lowering serum levels of ALT and AST, inhibiting the changes in biochemical parameters of functional state of rat liver, including MDA, SOD, GSH and GST.

Berberis lyceum and Fumaria indica: in vitro cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, and in silico screening of their selected phytochemicals as novel hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A inhibitors

Berberis lyceum and Fumaria indica are two Pakistani indigenous herbal medicines used to treat liver infections, including hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity, and antioxidant activity of these plant extracts and computationally screen their selected phytoconstituents as HCV NS5A inhibitors. The viability of HepG2 cells was assessed 24 h and 48 h post-treatment using colorimetric and dye exclusion methods. Antioxidant properties were examined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power, and total antioxidant capacity assays. Seventeen known phytochemicals identified from each plant were docked into the active binding site of HCV NS5A protein. The top hit ligands were analyzed for their druglikeness properties and the indices of absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET). The results showed that both plant extracts were non-toxic (CC₅₀ > 200 µg/ml). The IC₅₀ values of DPPH-radical scavenging activity were 51.02 ± 0.94 and 62.91 ± 1.85 µg/ml for B. lyceum and F. indica, respectively. They also exhibited reducing power and total antioxidant capacity.The phytochemicals were identified as potent HCV NS5A inhibitors with good druglikeness and ADMET properties. Six of the docked phytochemicals exhibited higher binding scores (-17.9 to -19.2 kcal/mol) with HCV NS5A protein than the standard drug, daclatasvir (-17.2 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation confirmed the stability of two compounds, berbamine and paprafumine at 100 ns with active site of HCV NS5A protein. The identified compounds through molecular docking and MD simulation could have potential as HCV NS5A inhibitor after further validation. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Protective effects of n-Butanol extract and iridoid glycosides of Veronica ciliata Fisch. Against ANIT-induced cholestatic liver injury in mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Veronica ciliata Fisch. is a traditional medical herb that present in more than 100 types of Tibetan medicine prescriptions, most of which are used for liver disease therapy. Iridoid glycosides have been identified as the major active components of V.ciliata with a variety of biological activities.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to explore the protective effect and potential mechanism of n-Butanol extract (BE) and iridoid glycosides (IG) from V.ciliata against ɑ-naphthyl isothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced hepatotoxicity and cholestasis in mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mice were intragastrically (i.g.) given BE and IG at different dose or positive control ursodeoxycholic acid (UCDA) once a day for 14 consecutive days, and were treated with ANIT to cause liver injury on day 12th. Serum levels of hepatic injury markers and cholestasis indicators, liver index and liver histopathology were measured to evaluate the effect of BE and IG on liver injury caused by ANIT. The protein levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB), interleukin-6 (IL-6), Na+/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), bile salt export pump (BSEP), multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), and the levels of oxidative stress indicators in liver tissue were investigated to reveal the underlying protective mechanisms of BE and IG against ANIT-induced hepatotoxicity and cholestasis.

RESULTS

The n-Butanol extract (BE) and iridoid glycosides (IG) isolated from V.ciliata significantly decreased serum level of cholestatic liver injury markers aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bile acid (TBA), total bilirubin (TBIL), and direct bilirubin (DBIL) in ANIT-treated mice. Histopathology of the liver tissue showed that pathological damages were relieved upon BE and IG treatment. Meanwhile, the results indicated BE and IG notably restored relative liver weights, inhibited oxidative stress induced by ANIT through increasing hepatic level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) and decreasing hepatic content of malondialdehyde (MDA). Western blot revealed that BE and IG inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory factors TGF-α, IL-6 and NF-κB. Furthermore, the decreased protein expression of bile acid transporters NTCP, BSEP, MRP2 were upregulated by BE and IG in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

The results have demonstrated that BE and IG exhibited a dose-dependently protective effect against ANIT-induced liver injury with acute intrahepatic cholestasis in mice, which might be related to the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory response and bile acid transport. In addition, these findings pointed out that iridoid glycosides as main active components of V.ciliata play a critical role in hepatoprotective effect of V.ciliata.

Water Extract of Artemisia annua L. Exhibits Hepatoprotective Effects Through Improvement of Lipid Accumulation and Oxidative Stress-Induced Cytotoxicity

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic liver disease with a complex underlying mechanism that has not been completely understood. Thus, effective and safe drugs for this disease are not yet available. Artemisia annua L. is a medicinal plant with potent antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. In this study, we prepared a water extract of A. annua (WEAA) and examined its potential for NAFLD treatment. First, we pretreated HepG2 cells (human hepatocarcinoma cell line) with WEAA and then treated the cells with oleic acid or tert-butylhydroperoxide to examine the effect of WEAA on the lipid accumulation and the cytotoxicity, respectively. WEAA not only inhibited lipid accumulation within HepG2 cells but also protected cells from oxidative stress-mediated damage through the activation of antioxidant enzymes (such as activation of superoxide dismutase and production of glutathione) and its own scavenging activity. Next, to confirm protective effect of the WEAA in in vivo, mice were intragastrically administered with WEAA, extract of Silybum marianum or water once a day, and simultaneously provided with high-fat diet to induce fatty liver and hepatic steatosis. Oral administration of WEAA ameliorated weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in high-fat diet-fed mice. Moreover, the plasma levels of triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were reduced in the WEAA-treated group. Our findings indicated that WEAA may be a potential intervention for preventing or treating hepatic lipid accumulation and liver damage.

Phenols fragment of Veronica ciliata Fisch. ameliorate free radical-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by mediating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Veronica ciliata Fisch. is used in numerous of Tibetan medicine prescriptions because of its hepatoprotective effect.

AIMS OF THIS STUDY

Here, we aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective effect and mechanism of phenolic fraction (PF) of V. ciliata Fisch. on liver injury induced by free radical.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

BRL 3A cells were pre-treated with PF and luteolin (Lut) following tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) treatment. The cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, apoptosis, cell cycle and autophagy were analyzed. Apoptotic, inflammatory, and autophagy,- related proteins were analyzed using Western blotting. The combination of molecular docking and drug affinity targeting experiments (DARTS) were first utilized to analysis the target protein of Lut.

RESULTS

PF effectively suppressed t-BHP-induced apoptosis caused by mitochondrial dysfunction, which were associated with inhibiting ROS generation. Further investigation indicated that PF significantly suppressed apoptosis, inflammation, and autophagy by regulating the expression of related proteins. The results of molecular docking and drug affinity targeting experiments (DARTS) revealed that PI3K was the target protein of PF and Lut. Further studies have shown that PF relieved liver injury induced by t-BHP via suppressing phosphorylated expression of PI3K.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that PF effectively protect against hepatotoxicity induced by t-BHP through inhibiting the abnormal activation of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and highlight the health benefits of PF regarding oxidative stress, proving it to be an important source of bioactive compounds associated with Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Veronica Plants-Drifting from Farm to Traditional Healing, Food Application, and Phytopharmacology

The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.

Coumarin Analogues from the Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck and Their Hepatoprotective Activity

Seven new coumarin analogues (1, 2, and 4-8), together with ten known analogues (3, 9-17), were isolated from the air-dried pericarp of Citrus grandis. The structures of these compounds were determined by HR-ESI-MS, UV/vis, and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectra. Meanwhile, the hepatoprotective activities of all these coumarins were evaluated by MTT assays using the d-galactosamine-induced LO2 cell injury model. The results show that compounds 3 and 4 exhibited the strongest hepatoprotective activities. Moreover, compounds 3 and 4 suppressed increases in the levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in d-galactosamine-treated LO2 cells, further confirming the hepatoprotective effects of these compounds. Mechanistically, compounds 3 and 4 increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in injured LO2 cells induced by d-galactosamine. These findings shed light on a better understanding of the hepatoprotective effect of Citrus grandis, providing novel insights into the development of coumarin-based hepatoprotective drugs in the future.

Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Hemerocallis citrina Baroni Decreases Tert-butyl Hydroperoxide-Induced Oxidative Stress Damage in BRL-3A Cells

The main purposes of this study were to screen the antioxidant activities of various fractions of Hemerocallis citrina Baroni and test their hepatoprotective effects in vitro. Antioxidant assays (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and reducing power experiments) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide- (t-BHP-) induced BRL-3A oxidative damage experiments were performed in vitro. The H. citrina ethyl acetate fraction (HCEA) was determined to have strong antioxidant activity because of its high flavonoid and polyphenol content. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography- (UPLC-) photodiode array (PDA)/mass spectrometry (MS) analysis showed that the main components of the HCEA were flavonoids and caffeic acid derivatives. A total of 17 compounds were identified. HCEA also effectively protected the liver against t-BHP-induced oxidative stress injury and significantly reduced reactive oxygen (ROS) accumulation. Moreover, HCEA significantly reduced levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Further studies have shown that HCEA inhibits t-BHP-induced apoptosis by increasing B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) activity and decreasing caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity. Moreover, HCEA enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), as well as the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and increased the antioxidant level of glutathione (GSH) in BRL-3A cells. HCEA increased the antioxidant capacity of cells by increasing the gene expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), P38, nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2 (Nrf2), SOD, glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM), and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), which are associated with antioxidant pathways to protect against oxidative stress. In conclusion, HCEA protected BRL-3A cells against t-BHP-induced oxidative stress damage via antioxidant and antiapoptosis pathways. Therefore, H. citrina Baroni may serve as a potential hepatoprotective drug.