Objective:To investigate the hepatotoxic effects and mechanisms of Tribuli Fructus powder and aqueous extract.Meth-ods:A total of 140 healthy SD rats(70 females and 70 males)were randomized into a normal control group,low-,medium-,and high-dose Tribuli Fructus powder groups,and low-,medium-,and high-dose Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract groups.Rats were ad-ministrated with Tribuli Fructus powder or aqueous extract by gavage for 1 month.The levels of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT),glutamic pyruvic transaminase(GPT),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),and total bilirubin(TBIL)in the serum were meas-ured.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of glutathione(GSH),malondialdehyde(MDA),and superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the liver.Real-time PCR was conducted to determine the expression of farnesoid X receptor(FXR),cytochrome P450 7 A1(CYP7 A1),and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α(PPARα)in the liver.The pathological changes of the rat liver were observed.Results:Neither the liver weight nor the liver index showed significant changes.Compared with the normal control group,high-dose Tribuli Fructus powder increased GOT(P<0.01),and high-dose Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract increased GOT and GPT(P<0.05 or P<0.01).High-dose Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract elevated the levels of GSH and MDA(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the medium-dose aqueous extract only elevated the level of MDA(P<0.01).Low-dose Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract lowered the SOD level(P<0.05).The expression of CYP7 A1 was up-regulated by medium and high doses of Tribuli Fructus powder(P<0.05 or P<0.01)and medium-dose Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract(P<0.01).The expression of PPARα was down-regulated by high-dose Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract(P<0.01).Histopathological examination showed hepa-tocyte edema,hepatocyte steatosis,and focal inflammatory cell infiltration in the medium and high dose groups of Tribuli Fructus powder and each dose group of Tribuli Fructus aqueous extract.Moreover,the pathological changes were severer in the Tribuli Fruc-tus aqueous extract groups.Conclusion:The aqueous extract of Tribuli Fructus exerts obvious hepatotoxicity,which may be associ-ated with the overexpression of CYP7A1 and MDA by the inhibition of PPARα expression.
Tribuli FructusTribuli Fructus powderAqueous extract of Tribuli FructusLiverLiver indexHepatotoxicityMechanismBlood biochemistry