Hepatoprotective Effect of Artemisia capillaris Thunb Water Extract in an Animal Model of Liver Fibrosis
2022
Kim, M.J. | Choi, J.W. | Lee, S.H. | Shin, M.R. | Roh, S.S.
This study investigated the hepatoprotective effect of Artemisia capillaris Thunb water extract (AE) in a thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis model using mice. The animal experiment was conducted with a normal group, a control group, a positive control group (silymarin 50 mg/kg), and an AE group (AE 200 mg/kg). Except for the normal group, hepatic fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal administration of TAA 3 times a week for 8 weeks in the remaining groups (100 mg/kg for 1 week, 200 mg/kg for 2∼3 weeks, and 400 mg/kg for 4∼8 weeks). Moreover, the AE or silymarin was administered orally daily for 8 weeks. At the end of 8 weeks, ammonia levels and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the serum were measured. The expression of antioxidant, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis-related proteins in the liver tissue was measured by western blot test. Serum analysis revealed that the ammonia levels and MPO activity that were increased by the TAA were significantly decreased by the AE treatment. Also, treatment with AE significantly reduced the oxidative stress, increased by TAA by increasing the expression of antioxidant-related proteins in the liver tissue. Our study confirmed that the expression of inflammation and fibrosis-related proteins was significantly reduced due to the reduction of oxidative stress. In conclusion, these results suggest that AE treatment alleviates hepatic fibrosis by reducing oxidative stress through the activation of the NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway.
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