Lycium barbarum polysaccharides improve hepatic injury through NFkappa-B and NLRP3/6 pathways in a methionine choline deficient diet steatohepatitis mouse model.

Abstract

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) are major bioactive constituents of wolfberry which possess several pharmacological effects such as antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities. We aimed to evaluate how LBP attenuated the hepatic injury in a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) methionine-choline deficient (MCD) mouse model. NASH was induced in C57BL/6N mice by feeding with MCD diet for 6 weeks. During the experiments, 1 mg/kg LBP was intragastrically fed on a daily basis with or without MCD diet lasting from the 4th to 6th week. Control and vehicle-control (LBP + PBS) were fed with a regular animal chow. LBP significantly ameliorated NASH-induced injuries, including the increase of serum ALT and AST levels, hepatic oxidative stress, fibrosis, inflammation, and apoptosis. The hepatoprotective effects of LBP were accompanied by the attenuation of thioredoxin interacting protein, nod-like receptor protein 3/6 (NLRP3/6) and reduced NF-κB (nuclear factor-kappa B) activity. Vehicle LBP fed mice showed no adverse effect on the liver. In conclusion, the suppression of the NLRP3/6 inflammasome pathway and NF-κB activation may partly contribute to the reduction of the hepatic injury during the progression of NASH by therapeutic LBP treatment.

• Authors: Jia Xiao, Fei Wang, Emily C Liong, Kwok-Fai So, George L Tipoe
• Journal: International journal of biological macromolecules (Int J Biol Macromol) Vol. 120 Issue Pt B Pg. 1480-1489 (Dec 2018) ISSN: 1879-0003 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 30266645 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antioxidants
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• NF-kappa B
• NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
• Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 6, mouse
• Receptors, Cell Surface
• lycium barbarum polysaccharide
• Methionine
• Choline

Topics

• Animals
• Antioxidants (pharmacology)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Choline (analysis)
• Diet (adverse effects)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (pharmacology)
• Female
• Fibrosis
• Liver (drug effects, injuries, metabolism, pathology)
• Male
• Methionine (analysis)
• Mice
• NF-kappa B (metabolism)
• NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein (metabolism)
• Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (metabolism, pathology)
• Oxidative Stress (drug effects)
• Receptors, Cell Surface (metabolism)