Protective effects of Ampelopsis brevipedunculata against in vitro hepatic stellate cells system and thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis rat model

Abstract

Context:Ampelopsis brevipedunculata Maxim (Vitaceae) is a traditional medicinal herb used for treating liver disorders.Objective: The hepatoprotective effects of A. brevipedunculata ethanol extract (ABE) was investigated in experimental models of fibrosis.Materials and methods: Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) system in vitro and thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis rat model in vivo were used. Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into five groups of eight each (control, TAA, TAA with ABE 10 mg/kg, ABE 100 mg/kg and silymarin 50 mg/kg groups, respectively). Fibrosis was induced except to the control group by TAA (200 mg/kg, i.p.) twice per week for 13 weeks. ABE and silymarin was administered orally six times per week from the 7th week to the 13th week.Results: In HSC-T6 cells, ABE (0.1 mg/mL) and silymarin (0.05 mg/mL) significantly (p < 0.01) induced apoptosis (12.94 ± 5.72% and 14.9 ± 3.8%, respectively) compared with control group (7.51 ± 1.26%). The expression of fibrosis related genes (TGF-β, α-SMA and Col1A1) in HSC-T6 cells were significantly (p < 0.01) downregulated in ABE-treated groups compared with control group. In in vivo studies, ABE (10 and 100 mg/kg) treatment ameliorated the altered levels of serum biomarkers significantly (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) in TAA-induced groups. Further, ABE (10 and 100 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.01) attenuated the altered histopathological findings, glutathione content and the accumulation of hydroxyproline.Conclusion: These results collectively indicate that ABE can potentially be developed as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

Butyrate Protects Mice Against Methionine–Choline-Deficient Diet-Induced Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis by Improving Gut Barrier Function, Attenuating Inflammation and Reducing Endotoxin Levels

“…Hepatic stellate cells serve as another mediator of the liver–gut axis due to their high TLRs expression ( Shi et al, 2017 ). HSCs are key cells that express contractile α-SMA and produce excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) components during liver fibrosis ( Yum et al, 2017 ). Activation of HSCs during liver fibrosis mainly depends on KC secretion of TGF-β1, the most powerful modulator ( Wu et al, 2016 ), and, to a lesser extent, IL-1β ( Mridha et al, 2017 ).…”

EX-527 Prevents the Progression of High-Fat Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis by Upregulating SIRT4 in Zucker Rats

“…Additionally, 4-hydroxyproline level was analyzed, which signifies the total collagen content in the hepatic tissue and is used as a signal for ECM accumulation [55]. The degree of fibrosis, as well as potential of antifibrotic agents, are determined by measuring 4-hydroxyproline level [53,54].…”

Dendropanax morbifera Ameliorates Thioacetamide-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis via TGF-β1/Smads Pathways

“…To explore potential mechanisms of protective effects of DM in liver fibrosis, we measured the content of 4-hydroxyproline, which represents the majority of collagen content, in liver tissue as a marker for ECM accumulation 47 . Furthermore, hydroxyproline is regarded as a good marker for determination of the extent of fibrosis and evaluation of the efficacy of new antifibrotic agents 45 , 46 .…”