Abstract
Artemisia annua L. is an annual herb belonging to the Asteraceae family. It is commonly grown in parts of Asia, including Korea and China, and is called by its nickname Gae-ddong-ssuk, or Chung-ho. The herb is well known for its positive effects on fever and hemostasis, as well as its antibiotic effects. To evaluate the protective properties of A. annua L. on the liver, an acute liver failure animal model was set up with intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D-galactosamine (D-galN) in C57BL/6J mice, showing increased levels of AST (aspartate transaminase) and ALT (alanine transaminase). Oral administration of the extract of A. annua L. (EAA) for 2 weeks reduced the level of AST and ALT up to 50% of the levels in the negative control group treated with water vehicle. The efficacy of EAA was more effective than that in a comparative positive control group treated with milk thistle extract. Moreover, EAA protected hepatic cells and tissues from oxidative stresses and inflammatory damages, showing downregulation of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). We also found that LPS stimulated the mouse macrophage cell line, Raw264.7, and secreted a tremendous level of proinflammatory cytokines and the secretion of these cytokines was reduced with EAA treatment via downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation and p65 translocation. This study demonstrated that A. annua L. extract is a promising treatment for protection against and recovery from liver damage, as well as maintenance of liver health.