Breviscapine ameliorates CCl(4)-induced liver injury in mice through inhibiting inflammatory apoptotic response and ROS generation

Acute liver injury is characterized by fibrosis, inflammation and apoptosis, leading to liver failure, cirrhosis or cancer and affecting the clinical outcome in the long term. However, no effective therapeutic strategy is currently available. Breviscapine, a mixture of flavonoid glycosides, has been reported to have multiple biological functions. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of breviscapine on acute liver injury induced by CCl(4) in mice. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to intraperitoneal injection with CCl(4) for 8 weeks with or without breviscapine (15 or 30 mg/kg). Mice treated with CCl(4) developed acute liver injury, as evidenced by histological analysis, Masson trichrome and Sirius Red staining, accompanied with elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Furthermore, increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and apoptotic factors, including caspase-3 and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase-2 (PARP-2), were observed. Breviscapine treatment significantly and dose-dependently reduced collagen deposition and the fibrotic area. Inflammatory cytokines were downregulated by breviscapine through inactivating Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways. In addition, co-administration of breviscapine with CCl(4) decreased the apoptotic response by enhancing B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) levels, while reducing Bcl-2-associated X protein, apoptotic protease activating factor 1, caspase-3 and PARP activity. Furthermore, CCl(4)-induced oxidative stress was blocked by breviscapine through improving anti-oxidants and impeding mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. The present study highlighted that breviscapine exhibited liver-protective effects against acute hepatic injury induced by CCl(4) via suppressing inflammation and apoptosis.