Abstract:

Objective: This study aimed to explore the protective effect of lignans from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis
(Turcz.) Baill. (SCL) on acute liver injury induced by ethanol in mice and to reveal the underlying mechanism. Methods:
A total of 50 mice were randomly divided into normal control, model, low-dose SCL (25 mg/(kg·d)), high-dose SCL
(50 mg/(kg·d)) and positive control (bifendate, 150 mg/(kg·d)) groups. The mice were intragastrically administered with
corresponding drugs, respectively, for 15 days. Then 50% ethanol (12.0 mL/kg) was given to the mice in model groups
1 hour after the last administration. The mice in the normal control group were administered with an equal volume of
distilled water. All the mice were sacrificed 12 hours later, and their blood samples were collected. The activities of alanine
aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and triglyceride (TG) level in serum as well as the contents
of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in liver tissues were
measured. Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining was performed for observing pathological changes of the liver tissues.
Results: SCL significantly decreased the activities of ALT and AST and TG levels in serum (P ＜ 0.05). Meanwhile, the
MDA content and NOS activity in liver tissues were reduced significantly whereas the GSH content was significantly
increased by SCL (P ＜ 0.05). Moreover, HE staining showed that SCL significantly improved the liver cell edema, necrosis,
and central venous congestion. Conclusions: SCL confer a significant protective effect on alcohol-induced acute liver injury
in mice, which might be attributed to their anti-oxidant capacity.

Key words: Schisandra chinensis lignans, liver injury, alcohol, oxidative stress