Abstract: The protective effects of betulinic acid (BA) and total triterpenic acids from red jujube (JTTA) on alcoholic liver injury in mice were investigated. A mouse model of alcoholic liver injury was established by intragastrically treating mice with alcohol. Body weight, liver index and relevant biochemical indicators were determined. Histopathological changes in the liver were detected by staining liver sections with hematoxylin and eosin. The results showed that BA and JTTA could reduce liver index, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in serum, increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in serum and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver tissue significantly (P < 0.05). Furthermore, BA and JTTA could repair pathological liver injury. The results demonstrated that BA and JTTA could protect the liver from alcohol-induced injury.

Key words: betulinic acid, red jujube, total triterpenic acids, alcoholic liver injury, protective effect