Hepatoprotective effect of selected isoandrographolide derivatives on steatotic HepG2 cells and High Fat Diet fed rats.

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is one of the growing epidemics of the globe. This study was aimed to evaluate the anti-NAFLD effect of selected IAN derivatives using in silico, in vitro and in vivo models. In silico tools viz., DataWarrior, SwissADME and Gaussian 09 were used to predict the pharmacokinetic properties and electronic distribution patterns of the derivatives; docking analysis was done with Autodock against PPARα. Toxicities of the derivatives were assessed in HepG2 cells using MTT assay. Anti-NAFLD efficacies of the derivatives were assessed in free fatty acid induced steatotic HepG2 cells. In vivo anti-NAFLD effect of active isoandrographolide (IAN) derivative, 19-propionyl isoandrographolide (IAN-19P) was assessed in High Fat Diet fed rats. In silico and in vitro studies indicated that IAN-19P showed improved drug-likeness and drug score. The toxicity of IAN-19P to HepG2 cells was comparatively less than IAN and other derivatives. In free fatty acid induced steatotic HepG2 cells, treatment with IAN-19P significantly lowered intracellular triglyceride content and leakage of LDH and transaminases. Treating High Fat Diet fed animals with IAN-19P significantly lowered plasma lipids, transaminases, LDH and GGT levels. The treatment with IAN-19P upregulated the expressions of PPARα and CPT-1. IAN-19P did not produce any noticeable adverse effect till 2 g/kg concentration in acute and 250 mg/kg concentration in subacute toxicity studies. This study indicated the beneficial effect of IAN-19P for the treatment of NAFLD; however robust investigations are needed to establish the potential of IAN-19P to treat NAFLD.

Hepatoprotective effect of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid tiliamosine from Tiliacora racemosa in high-fat diet/diethylnitrosamine-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the aggressive forms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is a potential risk factor of HCC. This study reports the curative effect of tiliamosine on NASH. Tiliamosine was isolated from Tiliacora racemosa Colebr. (Menispermaceae) and its structure was confirmed by studying the physical and spectroscopic data. The effects of tiliamsoine on lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity were evaluated using palmitate-oleate induced steatosis in HepG2 cells. The in vivo efficacy of tiliamosine was evaluated using HFD fed, DEN induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis Wistar rats. In HepG2 cells, tiliamosine did not affect the cell viability up to 100 µM concentration and showed GI25 value of 264.28 µM. The treatment with tiliamsoine significantly lowered the ORO concentration by 44.17% and triglyceride accumulation by 69.32% at 50 µM concentration (P < 0.005). It also reduced the leakage of LDH and transaminases in PO-BSA induced HepG2 cells. The treatment with tiliamsoine significantly decreased the plasma levels of transaminases, phosphatase and LDH (P < 0.05) in HFD-DEN induced steatohepatitis. The histology and the immunohistochemistry of the hepatic sections were in accordance with the biochemical findings. Preliminary molecular analysis indicated that the hepatic FXR expression was upregulated and TNFα expression was downregulated by the treatment with tiliamsoine. This study provided preliminary evidence on the use of tiliamosine for the treatment of NASH.

Curative effect of arjunolic acid from Terminalia arjuna in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease models.

The prevalence of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is increasing globally. Terminalia arjuna W. & Arn. (Combretaceae) is an endemic tree found in India and Sri Lanka and used traditionally for its cardioprotective and hepatoprotective effects. Arjunolic acid (AA) is an oleanane triterpenoid found mainly in the heartwood of T. arjuna. This study was aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of AA using cellular and rodent models of NAFLD. AA was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the heartwood of T. arjuna. The structure of AA was confirmed by physical and spectroscopic data. Steatosis was induced in HepG2 cells using palmitate-oleate mixture and the effects of AA on triglyceride accumulation and lipotoxicity were assessed. In vivo effect of AA on NAFLD was assessed using HFD fed rats. The treatment with AA did not affect the cell viability upto 100 µM and showed GI25 value of 379.9 µM in HepG2 cells. The treatment with AA significantly lowered the ORO concentration by 35.98% and triglyceride accumulation by 66.36% at 50 µM concentration (P < 0.005) compared to the vehicle treated group. The treatment with AA also reduced the leakage of ALT and AST by 61.11 and 48.29% in a significant manner (P < 0.005). The in vivo findings clearly demonstrated that the animals treated with AA at 25 and 50 mg/kg concentrations showed a significant decrease in the levels of transaminases, phosphatase and GGT (P < 0.005). In the liver, the expression of PPARα and FXRα expressions were upregulated, while PPARγ expression was downregulated by the treatment with AA. The liver histology of the animals showed reduction in steatosis and MNC infiltration. These preliminary evidences suggested that AA might be a promising lead to treat NAFLD. Future robust scientific studies on AA will lead to tailoring it for the treatment of NAFLD.

Hepatoprotective effect of lawsone on rifampicin-isoniazid induced hepatotoxicity in in vitro and in vivo models.

The Drug-induced liver injury is one of the common unfavourable impacts, which seriously affects any drug therapy. This study documented the hepatoprotective efficacy of lawsone, the major bioactive naphthoquinone present in Lawsonia inermis L. (Lythraceae) using in vitro and in vivo models. Lawsone was isolated from the leaves of L. inermis and its structure was confirmed using spectroscopic data. In-vitro antioxidant effect of lawsone was evaluated using ABTS assay. Hepatoprotective effect of lawsone was determined with RIF-INH treated HepG2 cells and Wistar rats. Administration of RIF-INH reduced the viability of the HepG2 cells and the treatment with lawsone significantly restored the viability of the cells even at lower concentration (7.5 µM). The other parameters such as the leakage of transaminases and MDA levels were also significantly reduced by the treatment with lawsone. Oral administration of lawsone to the animals did not show any toxicity up to 2 g/kg b.w. concentration. Treatment with lawsone to the RIF-INH administered animals significantly lowered the serum transaminases levels. The ratio of albumin to globulin was improved and the level of bilirubin was lowered. This study indicated the hepatoprotective effect of lawsone; detailed investigations will give deeper understanding of the application of lawsone for hepatoprotection.

Effect of two andrographolide derivatives on cellular and rodent models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is increasing and there is an increasing interest in natural products to treat NAFLD. This study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of andrographolide and two of its derivatives; in one the OH group at C-14 was removed and in the other OH groups at C-3 and C-19 were protected. Andrographolide (AN) was isolated from the aerial parts of Andrographis paniculata Wall. Isoandrographolide (IAN) and 3,19-acetonylidene andrographolide (ANA) were derivatized from AN. Drug likeness of the compounds was studied using DataWarrior. The effect of the compounds in ameliorating hepatic steatosis and lipotoxicity was assessed using palmitate-oleate induced steatotic HepG2 cell lines. In vivo efficacy of the compounds was assessed by using HFD fed rats. IAN showed comparatively high drug score and low irritability than AN. MTT assay indicated that the treatment with IAN had comparatively less toxicity than AN and ANA to HepG2 cells. The treatment with IAN significantly reduced the lipid accumulation and the leakage of LDH and transaminases, while the treatments with AN and ANA did not prohibit the leakage. In the in vivo experiment, the treatment with IAN showed comparatively better hepatoprotection by reducing the serum lipid, transaminases and ALP levels than with AN and ANA. Our results showed that IAN could be a promising lead to treat NAFLD with comparatively low toxicity and improved efficacy.

Antihyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of Gardenin A in cellular and high fat diet fed rodent models.

The gum of Gardenia resinifera Roth., is one of the important drugs used in the Indian system of medicine and a source of unique polymethoxylated flavones. This study was aimed to evaluate the antihyperlipidemic and anti-NAFLD effects of Gardenin A (Gar-A) from G. resinifera gum using in vitro and in vivo models. Gar-A was isolated from G. resinifera gum and was identified on the basis of the physical and spectral data. Toxicity of Gar-A to HepG2 cells was evaluated using MTT assay. The ability of Gar-A to reduce steatosis was assessed using oleate-palmitate induced HepG2 cell lines by estimating the lipid levels by ORO staining and by estimating the intracellular triglyceride content. Effect of Gar-A on amelioration of lipotoxicity was measured by estimating the LDH levels. The doses for in vivo experiments were fixed by Irwin test, between 50 and 100 mg/kg concentrations, through oral route. The acute antihyperlipidemic effect of Gar-A was assessed in Triton WR-1339 induced hyperlipidemic animals. The chronic antihyperlipidemic and anti-NAFLD effects of Gar-A were evaluated in HFD fed rats. In vitro experiments with HepG2 cell line indicated that the cells treated with Gar-A did not show any significant reduction in the viability up to 70 µg/mL concentration. Steatotic HepG2 cells treated with Gar-A showed a significant reduction in lipid accumulation at 2.5-10 µg/mL concentrations. In triton induced hyperlipidemic rats, the treatment significantly reduced the lipid levels at the synthesis phase. The treatment with Gar-A to the HFD fed animals significantly lowered the steatosis and transaminase levels. The other biochemical parameters such as TC, TG, LDL-c, ALP and ACP were also decreased significantly. Treatment with Gar-A significantly lowered the hyperlipidemia and fat accumulation in the liver; detailed molecular investigations are necessary to establish the antihyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective potentials of Gar-A.

Myoinositol ameliorates high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats through promoting insulin receptor signaling.

Mimosa pudica Linn. (Mimosaceae) has been traditionally used for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in India. The present study evaluates the therapeutic efficacy of myoinositol (25 and 50mg/kg) isolated from M. pudica stem methanol extract in Triton WR-1339 induced hyperlipidemic and high-fat diet (HFD) fed-streptozotocin (STZ)-induced insulin-resistant diabetic rats. Lipid biomarkers, fasting blood glucose (FBG), changes in body weight, food and water intakes, plasma insulin, HOMA-IR, oral glucose tolerance, intraperitoneal insulin tolerance, urea, creatinine, marker enzymes of liver function, ß-cell function and the expression levels of insulin receptor-induced signaling molecules were studied. Molecular-docking was also carried out to determine the possible interactions of myoinositol into the active sites of insulin-induced signaling markers. In addition, histology of liver, pancreas, kidney, heart and adipose tissues were also performed. In Triton WR-1339 induced hyperlipidemic rats, myoinositol (25 and 50mg/kg) exhibited significant reductions in total cholesterol: 37.5% and 59.73%, triglycerides: 57.75% and 80.14% and LDL-c: 81.44% and 101.75% respectively. HFD fed-STZ receiving myoinositol (25 and 50mg/kg) showed significant reductions in fasting blood glucose: 55.68% and 56.48%, plasma insulin level: 25.45% and 27.06% when compared with diabetic control. It significantly normalized the hyperglycemia induced biochemical abnormalities in insulin-resistant diabetic rats. Furthermore, it demonstrated cytoprotective effects besides increase in the intensity of positive reaction for insulin in pancreas. Myoinositol enhanced the level of PPARγ expression in the adipose tissue of treated rats when compared with rats that did not receive drug treatment; also, it significantly upregulated GLUT4 and IR signaling molecules. Myoinositol had predicted the interactions within the active sites of PPARγ, GLUT4 and IR. These findings suggested that myoinositol could play an effective role in glucose disposal into adipose tissue by insulin-dependent signaling cascade mechanism; hence it could be used in the treatment of obesity-associated T2DM.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Tricholoma giganteum (Agaricomycetes) in a Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Rat Model.

Different concentrations of standardized ethanolic extract from the basidiocarps of Tricholoma giganteum Massee (TgEtOH) were screened for hepatoprotective effects in an animal model of rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fed a high-fat and high-fructose diet. After 4 weeks of treatment with TgEtOH, the relative liver weights, serum lipid concentrations, and biochemical profiles were found to be normal in treated animals compared with those given a standard drug. The macroscopic and histopathological studies clearly indicated that 200 mg/kg of ethanolic extract was effective in ameliorating the abnormalities of NAFLD. The findings indicate the efficacy of T. giganteum extract in liver protection. Future experiments on bioassay tailored fractionation of TgEtOH and mechanistic-based evaluation are required to assess the potential application of this mushroom as a food supplement in NAFLD.

Lipolytic and antiadipogenic effects of (3,3-dimethylallyl) halfordinol on 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high fat and fructose diet induced obese C57/BL6J mice.

Aegle marmelos Correa., (Rutaceae) is a medium sized tree distributed in South East Asia and used traditionally for the management of obestiy and diabetes. In this study the lipolytic and antiadipogenic effects of (3,3-dimethylallyl) halfordinol (Hfn) isolated from leaves of A. marmelos have been investigated. Intracellular lipid accumulation was measured by oil red O staining and glycerol secretion. The expression of genes related to adipocyte differentiation was analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Hfn decreased intracellular triglyceride accumulation and increased glycerol release in a dose dependent manner (5-20 µg/ml) in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In high fat diet fed C57/BL 6J mice, treatment with Hfn for four weeks reduced plasma glucose, insulin and triglyceride levels and showed a significant reduction in total adipose tissue mass by 37.85% and visceral adipose tissue mass by 62.99% at 50mg/kg b.w. concentration. RT-PCR analyses indicated that Hfn decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT enhancer binding protein α (CEBPα) and increased the expression of sterol regulatory enzyme binding protein (SREBP-1c), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), Adiponectin and Glucose transporter protein 4 (GLUT4) compared to the high fat diet group. These results suggested that Hfn decreased adipocyte differentiation and stimulated lipolysis of adipocytes. This study justifies the folklore medicinal uses and claims about the therapeutic values of this plant for the management of insulin resistance and obesity.