Mechanism of Action of Paeonol in Improving Oxidative Stress Injury and Inflammation in Mice with Alcohol-induced Liver and Brain Injury:A Study Based on the Kelch-like ECH-associated Protein 1/Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-related Factor 2/Antioxidant Respon
Objective To investigate the mechanism of action of paeonol improving liver and brain inflammation and oxidative stress injury induced by acute alcohol stimulation in mice based on the on Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1(Keap1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/antioxidant response element(ARE)signaling pathway.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into blank group,model group,silybin group(36.8 mg/kg),and high-,middle-,and low-dose paeonol groups(480,240,and 120 mg/kg),with 15 mice in each group.During the adaptive phase,the mice in all groups were given Lieber-DeCarli control liquid feed freely;during modeling,the mice in the blank group were given Lieber-DeCarli control liquid feed freely,and those in the other groups were given Lieber-DeCarli alcohol liquid feed freely and the corresponding drug by ga-vage for 10 days.The mice were measured in terms of blood lipids[triglyceride(TG)and total cholesterol(TC)],liver func-tion[alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)],inflammatory factors[interleukin-6(IL-6),in-terleukin-1α(IL-1α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)],and oxidative stress indicators[catalase(CAT),glutathione(GSH),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)];HE staining and oil red O staining were used to observe the pathological changes of the liver and brain;Western blot,immunofluorescence assay,and qRT-PCR were used to measure the expression levels of Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway-related proteins and their mRNA expression levels in mouse liver and brain.Results Compared with the model group,the high-dose paeonol group had a significant increase in body weight(P<0.05),significant increases in blood lipids(TG and TC),liver function parameters(ALT and AST),in-flammatory factors(IL-6,IL-1α,IL-1β,and TNF-α),and oxidative stress indicators(CAT,GSH,and SOD)(P<0.05),and a significant reduction in the content of MDA(P<0.05);there were significant increases in the protein and mRNA expression levels of heme oxygenase-1,NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1,and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit and significant reductions in the protein and mRNA expression levels of Keap1 in mouse liver and brain(P<0.05);the high-dose paeonol group showed significant improvements in the pathological state of the mouse liver and brain.Conclusion Paeonol can signifi-cantly alleviate alcohol-induced liver and brain inflammation and oxidative stress injury in mice,possibly by regulating the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.
PaeonolAlcohol-induced liver and brain injuryOxidative stressKeap1Nrf2AREInflammatory response