Tamarix chinensis Lour inhibits chronic ethanol-induced liver injury in mice

BACKGROUND Tamarix chinensis Lour(TCL)is a shrub that usually grows in arid or semiarid desert areas and saline-alkali fields.It is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with hepatoprotective,antioxidant,antibacterial,and antitumor activities.AIM To investigate the possible protective effects of TCL against liver injury induced by chronic ethanol intake.METHODS C57BL/6J male mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli lipid diet containing alcohol and received(by gavage)a water-alcohol extract(80%)of TCL(100 and 200 mg/kg BW)or distilled water for 4 wk.After euthanasia,liver tissues were observed histologically with hematoxylin and eosin staining and Oil red O staining,and the levels of alanine aminotransferase,aspartate transaminase,hepatic lipids,reactive oxygen species,malondialdehyde,and superoxide dismutase were measured.In addition,expression of the NOD-like receptor family,pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome and downstream proinflammatory cytokines were determined.RESULTS Compared with the ethanol group,mice in the TCL-treated group(200 mg/kg)had significantly lower serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(mean,34.1 IU/L vs 45.3 IU/L,P<0.01)and aspartate transaminase(mean,89.6 IU/L vs 115.7 IU/L,P<0.01),as well as marked reduction of hepatic tissue reactive oxygen species(decreased by 27.5%,P<0.01)and malondialdehyde(decreased by 76.6%,P<0.01)levels,with a significant increase of superoxide dismutase(Increased by 73.2%,P<0.01).Expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream cytokines[interleukin(IL)-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α,and IL-6],and recruitment of natural killer T cells to the liver,were reduced in the TCLtreated incubation with a Lieber-DeCaril ethanol lipid diet group.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that a TCL extract(200 mg/kg)protects against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury,probably by inhibiting the NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βsignaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.