Protective Effect of a Pueraria-Ampelopsis grossedentata-Corn Oligopeptides Composite against Chronic Alcohol-induced Liver Injury in Mice
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Abstract:
The anti-alcohol and hepatoprotective effect of a composite of pueraria, Ampelopsis grossedentata (AG) and corn oligopeptides (COP) were investigated. The anti-alcohol effects of pueraria, AG and COP used alone or in combination on drunk mice were evaluated through animal behavior experiments. The results showed that the pueraria-AG-COP composite (PAC composite) could significantly (p < 0.05) extend the waking time for drunkenness (up to 55.14±20.97 min) and shorten the period of hangover (to 75.88±23.28 min) while improving significantly the behavioral indices of the drunk mice, as compared with the model group. In the established chronic alcohol-induced liver injury mouse model, the hepatoprotective effect of PAC composite was investigated through measuring the biochemical indices of serum and liver tissues in mice, observing the pathological changes in hepatic tissues and examining the protein expression in liver tissues. Compared with the model group, the PAC composite could alleviate alcohol-induced liver damage in liver-injured mice: reducing significantly (p < 0.05) the activities of ALT and AST (to 17.09±6.26 and 21.41±6.80 U/L, respectively) in serum and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA; 2.46±0.31 nmol/mg) in liver tissues, whilst increasing significantly (p < 0.05) the content of glutathione (GSH, to 8.80±2.14 nmol/mg) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD; to 241.99±35.60 U/mg) in liver tissues. The PAC composite could also combat the pathological changes in liver tissues while down-regulating the protein expression of hepatic NF-κB and TNF-α in the liver-injured mice. All these results indicated that the PAC composite exhibited anti-alcohol and hepatoprotective effects through working mechanisms associated with its antioxidant activity and inhibition of the inflammatory-related signaling.
