Mechanism of Hepatoprotective Effect of Boesenbergia rotunda in Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Damage in Rats

Background. Researchers focused on developing traditional therapies as pharmacological medicines to treat liver cirrhosis. Objectives. Evaluating the hepatoprotective activity of Boesenbergia rotunda (BR) rhizome ethanolic extract on thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis in rats. Methods. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with 200 mg/kg TAA 3 times/week and daily oral administration of 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg of BR extract, and 50 mg/kg of the reference drug Silymarin for 8 weeks. At the end of the experiment, Masson's trichrome staining was used to measure the degree of liver fibrosis. Hepatic antioxidant enzymes (CAT and GPx), nitrotyrosine, cytochrome (P450 2E1), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), and urinary 8-hydroxyguanosine were measured. Serum levels of transforming growth factor TGF-β1, nuclear transcription factor NF-κB, proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, and caspase-3 were evaluated. Serum protein expression and immunohistochemistry of proapoptotic Bax and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were measured and confirmed by immunohistochemistry of Bax, Bcl-2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results. BR treatment improved liver histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and biochemistry, triggered apoptosis, and inhibited cytokines, extracellular matrix proteins, and hepatocytes proliferation. Conclusion. Liver cirrhosis progression can be inhibited by the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of BR ethanolic extract while preserving the normal liver status.