ABSTRACT
Aging promotes damage to vulnerable organs like brain and liver. Sanguisorba minor has been traditionally used to cure various ailments. Few studies have reported pharmacological activities of this medicinal plant. This research aimed to investigate the effects of Sanguisorba minor extract (SME) on brain and liver injury in aging rats and identify the underlying mechanisms. The aging model was developed by subcutaneously injecting Dgalactose and simultaneously treating them with SME. After biochemical and pathological assessments, mRNA expression levels of nuclear factorerythroid factor 2related factor 2 (Nrf2) and Nrf2 regulated gene, heme oxygenase1 (HO1), in the brain and liver tissues were determined. As a result, malondialdehyde and acetylcholinesterase levels were elevated while total thiol content and superoxide dismutase were reduced in the aging rats. Treatment with the extract remarkably attenuated oxidative injury and pathological changes in liver and brain tissues. Concomitantly, the extract upregulated Nrf2 and HO1 genes. Our findings exhibited SME may improve the agingrelated brain and liver damage through the Nrf2HO1 pathway.
