Elephantopus scaber inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury by suppression of signaling pathways in rats.

Abstract

Elephantopus scaber (ES, Teng-Khia-U) has been traditionally used for the treatment of nephritis, pain, and fever; however, the direct evidence is lacking. We investigated the effect of ES on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation of BV-2 microglial cells and acute liver injury in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Our results showed that ES reduced LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and prostaglandin (PGE(2)) production in BV-2 cells. ES significantly decreased serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in LPS-treated rats. Furthermore, the water extract, but not the ethanol extract, of ES dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced JNK, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), and slightly inhibited cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in BV-2 cells but decreased p38 MAPK and COX-2 expressions in the liver of LPS-treated rats. Taken together, these results indicate that the protective mechanism of ES involves an antioxidant effect and inhibition of p38 MAP kinase and COX-2 expressions in LPS-stressed acute hepatic injury in SD rats.

• Authors: Hsiao-Fang Hung, Chien-Wei Hou, Yi-Ling Chen, Chih-Cheng Lin, Hua-Wen Fu, Jen-Shu Wang, Kee-Ching Jeng
• Journal: The American journal of Chinese medicine (Am J Chin Med) Vol. 39 Issue 4 Pg. 705-17 ( 2011) ISSN: 1793-6853 [Electronic] Singapore
• PMID: 21721151 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
• Antioxidants
• Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors
• Lipopolysaccharides
• Plant Extracts
• Aspartate Aminotransferases
• Alanine Transaminase
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases

Topics

• Alanine Transaminase (blood)
• Animals
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Antioxidants (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Aspartate Aminotransferases (blood)
• Asteraceae
• Cell Line
• Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Inflammation (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Lipopolysaccharides
• Liver (drug effects, metabolism)
• Mice
• Microglia (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (metabolism)
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Extracts (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Signal Transduction (drug effects)