Swertiamarin ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic apoptosis via blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway in rats.
10.4196/kjpp.2019.23.1.21
- Author:
Qianrui ZHANG
1
;
Kang CHEN
;
Tao WU
;
Hongping SONG
Author Information
1. Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of the Yangtze River Shipping, Wuhan 430022, China.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Akt;
Carbon tetrachloride;
Collagen;
Hepatocyte apoptosis;
Swertiamarin
- MeSH:
Adult;
Animals;
Apoptosis*;
Blotting, Western;
Carbon Tetrachloride;
Carbon*;
Caspase 3;
Collagen;
Fibronectins;
Gentianaceae;
Hepatocytes;
Humans;
In Situ Nick-End Labeling;
Liver;
Male;
Rats*;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley;
Repression, Psychology;
RNA, Messenger;
Swertia
- From:The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
2019;23(1):21-28
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Swertiamarin (STM) is an iridoid compound that is present in the Gentianaceae swertia genus. Here we investigated antiapoptotic effects of STM on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury and its possible mechanisms. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group, an STM 200 mg/kg group, a CCl₄ group, a CCl₄+STM 100 mg/kg group, and a CCl₄+STM 200 mg/kg group. Rats in experimental groups were subcutaneously injected with 40% CCl₄ twice weekly for 8 weeks. STM (100 and 200 mg/kg per day) was orally given to experimental rats by gavage for 8 consecutive weeks. Hepatocyte apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay and the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 proteins were evaluated by western blot analysis. The expression of TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen III, CTGF and fibronectin mRNA were estimated by qRT-PCR. The results showed that STM significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with the CCl₄ group. The levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 proteins, and TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen III, CTGF, and fibronectin mRNA were significantly reduced by STM compared with the CCl₄ group. In addition, STM markedly abrogated the repression of Bcl-2 by CCl₄. STM also attenuated the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the liver. These results suggested that STM ameliorated CCl₄-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in rats.
