Objective To investigate the protective mechanism of Rhizoma Caryophylli A (RA) on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.
Methods Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group and RA group with 10 rats in each group. RA rats in RA group were injected with RA (10 mg/kg) via tail vein according to body weight 24 h and 1 h before modeling, and 0.9% NaCl solution (normal saline) of equal volume was injected into sham operation group and model group respectively. After anesthesia, the rats were clamped into the hepatic vessels for 60 min to cause 70% hepatic ischemia. After 6 h of blood flow recovery, the contents of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum were detected. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and interleukin-1 in liver were detected by ELISA β (IL-1 β)、 Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α) HE and TUNEL staining were used to observe the liver pathological damage and hepatocyte apoptosis. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of B-lymphomatoma-2 related X protein (Bax), B-lymphomatoma-2 protein (Bcl-2) and cysteine proteinase-3 (Caspase-3) in the liver.
Results Compared with the model group, the content of ALT, AST and LDH in serum of RA group decreased (P<0.05), the content of MDA, IL-1b, IL-6 and TNF-a in liver tissue decreased (P<0.05), and the content of SOD increased (P<0.05); In RA group, the liver tissue structure was intact, the number of apoptotic cells decreased, the apoptotic rate decreased (P<0.01), the levels of Bax and Caspase-3 decreased, and the level of Bcl-2 increased (P<0.05).
Conclusion RA injection before ischemia-reperfusion can enhance the liver function of rats after ischemia-reperfusion, reduce the release of oxidative and inflammatory factors, and reduce the apoptosis of hepatocytes by down-regulation of the expression of Bax and Caspase-3 proteins, thus playing a role in protecting the liver.