Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced
liver injury is the main factor
in acute liver failure. The current study aims to investigate the
protection of limonin, an antioxidant compound from citrus fruit,
against LPS-induced liver toxicity and elucidate the potential mechanisms.
We found that limonin elevated cell viability and reduced LDH release
in LPS-treated HepG2 cells. Limonin also inhibited LPS-induced pyroptosis
by inhibiting membrane rupture, reducing ROS generation, and decreasing
gasdermin D activation. Moreover, limonin inhibited the formation
of a NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)/Apoptosis-associated speck-like
protein containing a CARD (ASC) complex by reducing the related protein
expression and the colocalization cytosolic of NLRP3 and caspase-1
and then suppressed IL-1β maturation. Ultimately, we established
LPS-induced hepatotoxicity in vivo by using C57BL/6
mice administrated LPS (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally and limonin (50
and 100 mg/kg) orally. We found that limonin dereased the serum ALT
and AST activity and LDH release and increased the hepatic GSH amount
in LPS-treated mice. Additionally, the liver histological evaluation
revealed that limonin protects against LPS-induced liver damage. We
further demonstrated that limonin ameliorated LPS-induced hepatotoxicity
by inhibiting pyroptosis via the NLRP3/gasdermin
D signaling pathway. In summary, this study uncovered the mechanism
whereby limonin mitigated LPS-induced hepatotoxicity and documented
that limonin might be a promising candidate drug for LPS-induced hepatotoxicity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.