Baicalin, a traditional anti-inflammatory
drug, has been found to protect against liver injury in several experimental
animal hepatitis models; however, the mechanisms underlying the hepatoprotective properties of
baicalin are poorly understood. In the present study,we investigated the effects of
baicalin on the acute liver injury in mice induced by
Lipopolysaccharide/D-
galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN).
Baicalin (50, 150, and 300 mg/kg) was pretreated intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 2, 24, and 48 h respectively before LPS/D-GalN injected in mice. The mortality, hepatic tissue histology, hepatic tissue
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (
TNF-alpha) and
myeloperoxidase (MPO), plasma levels of
TNF-alpha and
alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and
aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were analyzed. Besides, western blotting analyses of
nuclear factor kappa B (
NF-kappaB) translocation and
Heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)
protein expression, as well as HO-1 activity were determined. The results showed that
baicalin protected against LPS/D-GalN-induced liver injury, including dose-dependent alleviation of mortality and hepatic pathological damage, decrease of ALT/AST release and the rise of MPO.
Baicalin reduced nuclear translocation of
NF-kappa B,
TNF-alpha mRNA and
protein levels in hepatic tissues and plasma levels of
TNF-alpha induced by LPS/D-GalN. Moreover,
baicalin dose-dependently increased HO-1
protein expression and activity. Further, inhibition of HO-1 activity significantly reversed the protective effect of
baicalin against LPS/D-GalN-induced liver injury. These results suggest that
baicalin can effectively prevent LPS/D-GalN-induced liver injury by inhibition of
NF-kappa B activity to reduce
TNF-alpha production and the underlying mechanism may be related to up-regulation of HO-1
protein and activity.