Co-construction Collaborative Innovation Center for Chinese Medicine Resources Industrialization by Shaanxi & Education Ministry, State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), Shaanxi Innovative Drug Research Center, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, 712083, Xianyang, Shaanxi, PR China.
Co-construction Collaborative Innovation Center for Chinese Medicine Resources Industrialization by Shaanxi & Education Ministry, State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), Shaanxi Innovative Drug Research Center, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, 712083, Xianyang, Shaanxi, PR China.
Fitoterapia. 2023 Dec;171:105605. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105605. Epub 2023 Jul 10.
Carthamus tinctorius L. leaves, a waste product after Carthami flos production, are rich in flavonoids. Total flavonoids from C. tinctorius L. leaves (TFCTLL) exhibited the protective effect on acute liver injury in mice in previous studies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of TFCTLL on chronic liver injury (CLI) and investigate the underlying mechanism. The chemical components of TFCTLL were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS, and their migration into blood was evaluated. The protective effect of TFCTLL on CLI was evaluated by antioxidative and anti-inflammatory experiments in vitro, network pharmacology and a carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced CLI mouse model. We indentified 18 chemical components in the TFCTLL samples and 4 components in plasma. TFCTLL showed significant anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant capacity in vitro and in vivo. TFCTLL administration prominently improved the liver function and structure, decreased the mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, NF-κB p65, IRF3, AKT1, TRIF, PI3K, MyD88, IL-1β and TNF-α and inhibited the protein expression and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in mice with CLI. The molecular docking results showed that components in plasma had high binding affinity for the targets TLR4, PI3K and AKT1. Therefore, TFCTLL has a protective effect against CCl-induced CLI, and the underlying mechanisms may be related to antioxidation, anti-inflammation and modulation of the TLRs/NF-κB and PI3K/AKT pathways.
红花属植物（Carthamus tinctorius L.）的叶子是红花生产后的一种废料，富含类黄酮。先前的研究表明，红花属植物叶总黄酮（TFCTLL）对小鼠急性肝损伤具有保护作用。本研究旨在评估 TFCTLL 对慢性肝损伤（CLI）的保护作用，并探讨其潜在机制。采用 UPLC-Q-TOF/MS 鉴定 TFCTLL 的化学成分，并评估其在体内的移行情况。通过体外抗氧化和抗炎实验、网络药理学和四氯化碳（CCl）诱导的 CLI 小鼠模型评价 TFCTLL 对 CLI 的保护作用。我们在 TFCTLL 样品中鉴定出 18 种化学成分，在血浆中鉴定出 4 种化学成分。TFCTLL 在体内外均表现出显著的抗炎活性和抗氧化能力。TFCTLL 给药可显著改善 CLI 小鼠的肝功能和肝组织结构，降低 TLR2、TLR3、TLR4、NF-κB p65、IRF3、AKT1、TRIF、PI3K、MyD88、IL-1β和 TNF-α的 mRNA 表达水平，并抑制 CLI 小鼠 NF-κB p65 的蛋白表达和核转位。分子对接结果表明，血浆中的成分与 TLR4、PI3K 和 AKT1 靶标具有高结合亲和力。因此，TFCTLL 对 CCl 诱导的 CLI 具有保护作用，其作用机制可能与抗氧化、抗炎以及 TLRs/NF-κB 和 PI3K/AKT 通路的调节有关。
