Ellagic acid (EA) is the main constituent found in pomegranate rind, which has anti-inflammatory and
antioxidant effects. However, whether EA can alleviate
diquat-induced oxidative stress is still unknown. Here, the effects and mechanisms of EA on jejunum oxidative stress induced by
diquat was investigated. Oxidative stress was induced in mice by administrating
diquat (25 mg/kg
body weight) followed by treatment with 100 mg/kg
body weight EA for 5 days. Results showed that
oral administration of EA significantly ameliorated
diquat-induced
weight loss and oxidative stress (p < 0.05) evidenced by reduced ROS production in the jejunum. Furthermore, EA up-regulated the
mRNA expression of the
antioxidant enzymes (Nrf2, GPX1 and HO-1) when mice were challenged with
diquat, compared with the
diquat group (p < 0.05). Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of Nrf2 by ML385 counteracted the EA-mediated alleviation of jejunum oxidative stress, as evidence by
body weight and ROS production. Also, immunohistochemistry staining confirmed the markedly decreased jejunal Nrf2 expression. The up-regulated effect on NQO1 and HO-1
mRNA expression induced by EA was diminished in mice treated with ML385 (p < 0.05). Together, our results demonstrated that therapeutic and preventative EA treatment was effective in reducing
weight loss and oxidative stress induced by
diquat through the Nrf2 mediated signaling pathway.