Gender-related difference in liver injury induced by Dioscorea bulbifera L. rhizome in mice

Abstract

<jats:p> The present study was undertaken to investigate the gender-related liver injury induced by Dioscorea bulbifera L. (DB), a traditional medicinal plant, in mice, and further explored its hepatotoxic chemical compound. Serum and liver tissue samples were collected at 0, 4, 8, 12 h, after mice were administrated orally with 640 mg/kg ethyl acetate extracts (EF) isolated from DB. After treatments, serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities were both significantly elevated. Liver lipid peroxidation (LPO) level increased, while glutathione amounts, glutathione- S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities all decreased in the time-dependent manner. Further analysis demonstrated that ALT and AST activities in female mice were significantly lower than those in male. Meanwhile, liver glutathione amounts and CAT activity in female mice after giving EF for 12 h were both higher than those in male. Further, comparing the liver injury induced by Diosbulbin B isolated from DB with that induced by EF on the basis of chemical analysis for the amounts of Diosbulbin B in EF of DB, we found that Diosbulbin B could be the main hepatotoxic chemical compound in DB. Taken together, our results show that DB can induce gender-related liver oxidative stress injury in mice, and its main hepatotoxic chemical compound is Diosbulbin B, for the first time. </jats:p>

Hyperin protects against cisplatin-induced liver injury in mice

“…There are increasing evidences that oxidative stress plays a critical role in liver diseases [23][24][25] . Harmful stimulation induces the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in liver.…”

“…cisplatin (40 mg/kg, dissolved in 0.9% normal saline) only once on the sixth day. The mice in groups 3,4 were served as hyperin (25,50 mg/ kg) + cisplatin groups, which were administrated intragastrically (i.g.) hyperin (25, 50 mg/kg per day) for six consecutive days, and one hour after the final administration of hyperin, cisplatin was injected intraperitoneally.…”

Cytokines as potential biomarkers of liver toxicity induced by Dioscorea bulbifera L.

“…Recently, study of the hepatotoxicity of D. bulbifera has attracted great interest. Our previous studies have already showed that an ethyl acetate extract (EF) isolated from D. bulbifera could induce oxidative stress liver injury (3,4). Meanwhile, our studies and other reports found that diterpenoids were the main hepatotoxic compounds in D. bulbifera, such as diosbulbin B and diosbulbin D (3,5).…”

Ferulic acid prevents liver injury and increases the anti-tumor effect of diosbulbin B in vivo

“…The cellular anti-oxidant system in the body prevents ROS-induced cell injury; the system includes low-molecular-mass anti-oxidants (van der Vliet et al, 1999) such as glutathione, α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and the main anti-oxidant enzymes including copper-and zinccontaining superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) and catalase (CAT). Our previous report demonstrated that oxidative stress plays an important role in liver injury induced by acetate extracts of D. bulbifera (Wang et al, 2011); however, whether the protection by ferulic acid against liver injury induced by diosbulbin B is related to the liver anti-oxidant system has not been demonstrated.…”

“…In addition, in northern Bangladesh, it is used to treat tumors and leprosy (Murray et al, 1984). Our laboratory studies have shown that D. bulbifera rhizome can induce hepatotoxicity (Wang et al, 2010;2011), which emphasizes a potential toxicity in the clinical setting. Among the biologically active substances in D. bulbifera rhizome, a major class is the clerodane diterpenoids (Wang et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2010).…”