[Paeoniflorin ameliorates liver injury of MRL/lpr mice through inhibition of NF-κB pathway].

Objective To investigate the effects of paeoniflorin (PF) on liver injury of MRL/lpr mice and its underlying mechanisms. Methods The research included 10 normal control C57BL/6 mice and 40 MRL/lpr mice. MRL/lpr mice were randomly assigned equally to a blank control group, a dexamethasone (1.5 mg/kg) group, and two PF (20, 40 mg/kg) groups. The serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were tested with microplate assay. Inflammatory cytokines in the serum and liver were also detected using ELISA. Liver pathological changes were observed using HE staining. The protein levels of receptor interacting protein140 (RIP140), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), p-NF-κBp65, NF-κBp65, p-IκBα and IκBα in the liver were detected by Western blot analysis. Results PF significantly decreased the serum levels of AST and ALT, obviously decreased the expressions of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α in the serum and liver, alleviated liver pathological changes and inhibited the expressions of RIP140, TLR4, p-NF-κBp65, p-IκBα proteins in the MRL/lpr mice. Conclusion PF has protective effects against liver injury in MRL/lpr mice by inhibiting NF-κB pathway.