Antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity induced by stevioside in liver damage: In vivo, in vitro and in silico assays

Publication date: Available online 16 March 2019Source: Life SciencesAuthor(s): Sael Casas-Grajales, Erika Ramos-Tovar, Esmeralda Chávez-Estrada, Diana Alvarez-Suarez, Erika Hernández-Aquino, Karina Reyes-Gordillo, Carlos M. Cerda-García-Rojas, Javier Camacho, Víctor Tsutsumi, M. Raj Lakshman, Pablo MurielAbstractAimsStevioside is a diterpenoid obtained from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) that exhibits antioxidant, antifibrotic, antiglycemic and anticancer properties. Therefore, we aimed to study whether stevioside has beneficial effects in liver injury induced by long-term thioacetamide (TAA) administration and investigated the possible underlying molecular mechanism using in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches.Main methodsLiver injury was induced in male Wistar rats by TAA administration (200 mg/kg), intraperitoneally, three times per week. Rats received saline or stevioside (20 mg/kg) twice daily intraperitoneally. In addition, cocultures were incubated with either lipopolysaccharide or ethanol. Liver injury, antioxidant and immunological responses were evaluated.Key findingsChronic TAA administration induced significant liver damage. In addition, TAA upregulated the protein expression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, thus increasing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and decreasing the antioxidant capacity of the liver through downregulation of nuclear erythroid factor 2 (Nrf2). Notably, stevioside administration prevented all of these changes. ...
Source: Life Sciences - Category: Biology Source Type: research