TOP1 and 2, polysaccharides from Taraxacum officinale, attenuate CCl4-induced hepatic damage through the modulation of NF-κB and its regulatory mediators

In this work, we estimate the inhibitory effect of two polysaccharides from Taraxacum officinale (TOP) on CCl4-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in Sprague–Dawley rats. TOP1 and 2 (304, 92 mg/kg bw) were administered for 7 days via a stomach sonde, and hepatitis was induced by a single dose of CCl4 (50% CCl4/olive oil; 0.5 mL/kg bw) administration. CCl4 significantly elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities. Histopathological observation further revealed that CCl4-induced moderate levels of inflammatory cell infiltration, centrilobular fatty change, apoptosis, and necrosis. However, TOPs pretreatment markedly decreased AST and ALT activities as well as hepatic lesions. TOPs also increased free radical scavenging activity, as exhibited by a lowered TBARS concentration. TOPs pretreatment also reversed other hepatitis-associated symptoms, including GSH depletion, inhibited anti-oxidative enzyme activities, up-regulation of NF-κB and increased expression of its regulatory inflammatory mediators, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-1β. These results suggest that TOPs have a hepatoprotective effect by modulating inflammatory responses and ameliorating oxidative stress.