Water Extract of Artemisia annua L. Exhibits Hepatoprotective Effects Through Improvement of Lipid Accumulation and Oxidative Stress-Induced Cytotoxicity.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic liver disease with a complex underlying mechanism that has not been completely understood. Thus, effective and safe drugs for this disease are not yet available. Artemisia annua L. is a medicinal plant with potent antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. In this study, we prepared a water extract of A. annua (WEAA) and examined its potential for NAFLD treatment. First, we pretreated HepG2 cells (human hepatocarcinoma cell line) with WEAA and then treated the cells with oleic acid or tert-butylhydroperoxide to examine the effect of WEAA on the lipid accumulation and the cytotoxicity, respectively. WEAA not only inhibited lipid accumulation within HepG2 cells but also protected cells from oxidative stress-mediated damage through the activation of antioxidant enzymes (such as activation of superoxide dismutase and production of glutathione) and its own scavenging activity. Next, to confirm protective effect of the WEAA in in vivo, mice were intragastrically administered with WEAA, extract of Silybum marianum or water once a day, and simultaneously provided with high-fat diet to induce fatty liver and hepatic steatosis. Oral administration of WEAA ameliorated weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in high-fat diet-fed mice. Moreover, the plasma levels of triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were reduced in the WEAA-treated group. Our findings indicated that WEAA may be a potential intervention for preventing or treating hepatic lipid accumulation and liver damage.
['Choi|Eun-Yong|EY|', 'Choi|Jin Ouk|JO|', 'Park|Chan Young|CY|', 'Kim|Seon-Hee|SH|', 'Kim|Donghyun|D|']
D000818:Animals D031172:Artemisia annua D059305:Diet, High-Fat D056945:Hep G2 Cells D006801:Humans D050356:Lipid Metabolism D008099:Liver D051379:Mice D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease D018384:Oxidative Stress D010936:Plant Extracts
Artemisia annua lipid accumulation fatty liver NAFLD antioxidant WEAA high-fat diet mugwort