Protective Effect of Modified Sinisan on Depression-induced Liver Injury in Rat / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To study the protective effect of modified Sinisan on liver injury caused by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) combined with solitary nutrition method based on a depression model. Method:Forty-eight SD male rats were randomly divided into normal group, depression model group, fluoxetine group (1.58 mg·kg-1·d-1), and low, medium and high-dose modified Sinisan (3.67, 7.34, 14.68 g·kg-1·d-1) groups, with 8 rats in each group. After the administration of the model, the levels of alanine aminotransferase（ALT）, aspartate aminotransferase（AST） in serum and the levels of inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）, interleukin（IL）-1β, and IL-6 in liver tissues were measured by a biochemical kit method. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of cysteine aspastic acid-specific protease-3 (Caspase-3) and cleaved Caspase-3 in liver cells after intervention with modified Sinisan. Result:Compared with the normal group, the biochemical test showed that the levels of ALT and AST in the serum of the model group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in liver tissue significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, low, medium-dose modified Sinisan groups significantly reduced serum ALT, AST and inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels (P<0.05). Western blot showed that compared with the normal group, the protein expression of Caspase-3 in model rat liver cells decreased, while the protein expression of cleaved Caspase-3 increased（P<0.05，P<0.01）. Compared with the model group, low, medium-dose modified Sinisan groups could up-regulate Caspase-3 protein expression, and down-regulated the expression of cleaved Caspase-3 protein（P<0.05，P<0.01）. Conclusion:Chronic stress-induced depression model can cause liver damage. Modified Sinisan can have the hepatoprotective effect by regulating the levels of various physiological, biochemical and inflammatory factor indicators, and inhibiting liver cell apoptosis.