Abstract
PURPOSE: Acute liver injury (ALI) is characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress (OS). Although mangiferin (MGF) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, its role in ALI remains unclear. Accordingly, we investigated the MGF molecular mechanism in carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced ALI in vivo and in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CCl(4) was utilized to induce ALI in mice. In vivo, the therapeutic effects of MGF on CCl(4)-induced liver injury were evaluated through biochemical assays and histomorphological analysis. Additionally, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, ELISA and Western blotting were further applied to explore the mechanism. In vitro, The CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were employed to investigate the protective effects of MGF against CCl(4)-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells, while mitochondrial reactive oxygen species levels and Western blotting were used to explore the biological effects and molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: MGF treatment resulted in a reduction in serum levels of AST and ALT, diminished concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in liver tissue, and concurrently decreased cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, MGF pretreatment enhanced the activity of SOD and GSH while concurrently diminishing the MDA production. This study further demonstrated the upregulation of Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 protein expression levels, as well as the downregulation of p-p65 protein expression levels. In vitro investigations revealed that the mitigation of CCl(4)-induced inflammation and OS by MGF was mediated via the Nrf2- antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway, which was disrupted by ML385 in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: CCl(4) can induce liver injury, while treatment with MGF mitigates ALI by inhibiting oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. The protective mechanism of MGF is mediated by the Nrf2-ARE pathway activation.