Bracteanolide A abrogates oxidative stress-induced cellular damage and protects against hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats.

Liver diseases, including viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer, mostly remain silent until the late stages and pose a continuing threat to millions of people worldwide. Liver transplantation is the most appropriate solution in the case of liver failure, but it is associated with hepatic ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury which severely reduces the prognosis of the patients. In order to ameliorate I/R injury, we investigated the potential of bracteanolide A, from the herb Kunth in protecting the liver from I/R injury. We first determined the protective effect of bracteanolide A against oxidative stress and DNA damage using HepG2 hepatocyte cell line and then assessed the levels of inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant proteins in response to hepatic insult using an animal model of hepatic I/R injury. The results showed bracteanolide A greatly enhanced cell survival and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production under HO induction. It also upregulated the expression of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like2 (Nrf2) and its downstream cytoprotective proteins NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Bracteanolide A effectively reduced the severity of liver lesions in I/R-injured rats revealed by histological analysis and significantly decreased the levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), cyclooxygenase-2, and inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Bracteanolide A preconditioning effectively protected the liver from I/R damage in the animal model, and this easily applied procedure may provide a new means to ameliorate hepatic I/R injury during liver surgeries.