Mohammed Mohammed Jasim, Kadhim Haitham Mahmood
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Ministry of Health and Environment, Kirkuk Health Directorate, Kirkuk, Iraq.
Toxicol Rep. 2024 Dec 5;14:101850. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.101850. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Liver fibrosis is a continuous wound-healing response to chronic injury caused by various chemical, virus, and pathological disorders; the lack of approved drugs or methods to reverse or prevent liver fibrosis makes it an interesting area of research. This study investigates the potential hepatoprotective effects of the phenolic extract of in rat's module of liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl) for six consecutive weeks; the butanol fraction of and silymarin was administered orally concurrently with CCl. After six weeks, all animals were euthanized. Rat liver tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were measured, and serum liver enzymes and protein were measured using the ELISA technique. Histopathological study and immunohistochemistry of liver tissue for transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and hydroxyproline were assessed. In HPLC analysis, Cnicus extract showed several components, including quercetin, gallic acid, rutin, kaempferol, silibinin, and apigenin. Treatment with butanol extract reduces serum ALT, AST, bilirubin, and albumin levels compared to induction. Additionally, extract increases liver GSH levels and decreases liver MDA levels compared to induction. Liver tissue of TGF-β1, α-SMA, and hydroxyproline expression was downregulated in rats receiving extract. Liver tissue histopathology showed improvement in its features compared to the induction group. In conclusion, oral administration of the polyphenol-enriched n-butanol fraction of Cnicus benedictus showed a protective effect on liver fibrosis caused by CCl4, possibly through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
肝纤维化是对由各种化学、病毒和病理紊乱引起的慢性损伤的一种持续的伤口愈合反应；缺乏批准的逆转或预防肝纤维化的药物或方法使其成为一个有趣的研究领域。本研究调查了[植物名称]酚类提取物在大鼠肝纤维化模型中的潜在肝保护作用。通过腹腔注射四氯化碳（CCl₄）连续六周诱导肝纤维化；[植物名称]的正丁醇部分和水飞蓟宾与CCl₄同时口服给药。六周后，对所有动物实施安乐死。测量大鼠肝组织中丙二醛（MDA）和谷胱甘肽（GSH）的水平，并使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）技术测量血清肝酶和蛋白质。对肝组织进行转化生长因子（TGF-β1）、α-平滑肌肌动蛋白（α-SMA）和羟脯氨酸的组织病理学研究和免疫组织化学评估。在高效液相色谱（HPLC）分析中，[植物名称]提取物显示出几种成分，包括槲皮素、没食子酸、芦丁、山奈酚、水飞蓟宾和芹菜素。与诱导组相比，[植物名称]正丁醇提取物治疗可降低血清谷丙转氨酶（ALT）、谷草转氨酶（AST）、胆红素和白蛋白水平。此外，与诱导组相比，[植物名称]提取物可提高肝脏GSH水平并降低肝脏MDA水平。在接受[植物名称]提取物的大鼠中，肝组织中TGF-β1、α-SMA和羟脯氨酸的表达下调。与诱导组相比，肝组织病理学显示其特征有所改善。总之，口服富含多酚的[植物名称]正丁醇部分对CCl₄引起的肝纤维化具有保护作用，可能是通过抗氧化和抗炎机制实现的。
