The effect of sodium butyrate on T helper cell 17 and the signal pathway of toll-like receptors 4 in autoimmune hepatitis / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the immunoregulatory effect of sodium butyrate(NaB)on T helper cell 17(Th17)and the effect on toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)signal pathway in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).Methods Fifty male C57BL/6 mice(6 weeks of age)according to the random number table method divided into control group(n=10),AIH group(n=10),NaB group(n=10)and high roughage diet(HRD)group(n=10),and the other ten mice were used to extract hepatic sytosolic S-100.After the establishment of AIH model,mice in NaB group were given sodium butyrate 500 mg/(kg·d)by gavage and those in HRD group were fed with high-fiber stuff.After 3 weeks of treatment,all the mice were sacrificed.The pathological change was observed.The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate transaminase(AST),IL-17A and TNF-α,the proportion of Th17 in spleen,the expression levels of TLR4 and myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88)in liver were observed in each group.The tests of normality and homogeneity of variance were used to compare the means of each group.One-way analysis of variance and multiple comparative analyses were used in the statistical analysis.Results HE staining showed that inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatocyte necrosis were significantly reduced in mice treated with NaB and HRD compared to AIH group.Serum ALT levels in control group,AIH group,NaB group and HRD group were(24.833 ± 2.229),(88.333 ± 9.543),(27.167 ± 3.189)and (29.833 ± 6.113)U/L,respectively,while AST levels in each group were(97.00 ± 14.953),(285.000 ± 35.434),(139.500 ± 38.976)and(127.167 ± 28.687)U/L,respectively.The differences among groups were all statistically significant(F=156.49 and 44.118,respectively,both P<0.01).The proportion of Th17 in spleen and the expressions of the transcription factors retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma t in the spleen of the NaB group and HRD group were significantly lower than those of AIH group.The differences were statistically significantly(F=21.780 and 68.283,respectively,both P<0.05).The expressions of TLR4 and MyD88 in liver of AIH group were significantly higher than control group,but those were inhibited in NaB group and HRD group.The differences were statistically significantly(F= 26.235 and 28.293,respectively,both P<0.01).The expressions of IL-17 and TNF-α in liver and serum decreased in NaB group and HRD group.Conclusion NaB exerts an immunoregulatory effect in AIH and improves inflammatory reaction in liver.