• Shan Wu, Fei Wen, Xiangbin Zhong, Wenjing Du, Manlian Chen, and Junyi Wang.
• School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
• Ann. Med. 2023 Dec 1; 55 (1): 22169422216942.

PurposeAstragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a natural saponin substance extracted from the plant Radix Astragali with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and liver-protecting effects. This study was to evaluate the liver protection effect of AS-IV on mice after acute alcohol stimulation.Materials And MethodsMice were orally administrated with AS-IV (50, 150, and 500 mg/kg, respectively), and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC, 50 mg/kg) daily for 7 days, before giving five alcohol-intragastric injections.ResultsResults suggested that the levels of serum ALT and AST, liver SOD, GSH-PX, 4-HNE, and MDA, serum and liver TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), diamine oxidase (DAO) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO), the mRNA and protein expression of hepatic NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 were significantly decreased in AS-IV-treated mice compared with the model group. Moreover, the effect of AS-IV on histopathology of liver tissue confirmed its protective function. Furthermore, AS-IV ameliorated the gut microbiota imbalance and adjusted the abundance of the following dysfunctional bacteria closer to the control group: Butyricicoccus, Turicibacter, Akkermansia, Anaerotruncus, and Mucispirillum. A strong correlation between intestinal bacteria and potential biomarkers was found.ConclusionTogether, our findings indicated that AS-IV exert the hepatoprotective effect by modulating the gut microbiota imbalance and regulating NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway.

28 keywords...

hide…