Extract of Triticum aestivum Sprouts Suppresses Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the oldest known food crop, and many studies have reported that wheat shoots (i.e., wheatgrass) possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. However, the potentially ameliorative effect of wheat shoots on hepatotoxicity caused by high doses of N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (acetaminophen, APAP) has yet to be reported. C57BL/6 mice received daily oral TAE (100 or 200 mg/kg), positive control (silymarin 100 mg/kg), or negative control (saline vehicle) treatments for 7 days prior to intraperitoneal APAP injection. Histological, serum (ELISA), Western blotting, and quantitative PCR analyses of excised liver tissues were then performed. Pre-treatment with TAE (100 or 200 mg/kg) ameliorated APAP-induced pathological damage (i.e., hepatotoxic lesions), reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, and also ameliorated APAP-induced increases in oxidative stress, thereby inhibiting oxidative liver damage and reducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In addition, TAE pre-treatment inhibited the expression of Cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1), which is a key enzyme in the onset of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity, suppressed the expression of the target proteins regulated by the antioxidant enzyme Nrf2, and suppressed hepatocyte apoptosis. These findings suggest that TAE is an attractive therapeutic candidate that exhibits potential hepatoprotective activity by inhibiting oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and liver damage.

Detoxification technology and mechanism of processing with Angelicae sinensis radix in reducing the hepatotoxicity induced by rhizoma Dioscoreae bulbiferae in vivo

“…Numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress occupied prominent values in the pathogenesis of hepatotoxicity ( Guo et al, 2019 ; Lv et al, 2020 ; Temel et al, 2020 ; Jung et al, 2021 ; Lim et al, 2021 ). When the body’s oxidation and anti-oxidation are out of balance, excess reactive oxygen species will be produced, resulting in a state of oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation of cell membranes, and abnormal organelle function ( Bao et al, 2010 ; Glade and Meguid, 2017 ; Hussein et al, 2020 ).…”

In Vitro and In Vivo Protective Effects of Lentil (Lens culinaris) Extract against Oxidative Stress-Induced Hepatotoxicity

“…Liver diseases have become a major global public health problem, and severe liver injury can overwhelm the self-regenerative capacity of the liver and can prove fatal [ 1 ]. Excessive oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of hepatic diseases such as alcohol-related liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis and can be induced by intrinsic factors and/or multiple xenobiotics such as alcohol and toxic compounds [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ].…”

“…Living organisms produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) via normal cellular metabolism [ 5 ]. Under normal healthy conditions, ROS and RNS generated by various pro-oxidants including alcohol [ 6 ], acetaminophen [ 2 , 4 ], ethyl carbamate [ 3 ], and fatty acids [ 7 ] are scavenged by various cellular enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione (GSH), and thioredoxin. These cellular antioxidants possibly play an important role in the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases, such as liver disease [ 8 ].…”

General Health Benefits and Pharmacological Activities of Triticum aestivum L.

“…The hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of ethanolic T.A. sprout extract were studied by Lim et al [ 113 ]. γ-Aminobutyric acid and α-linolenic acid contents were characterized at 209.23 and 170.92 µg/mg extract.…”