Effect Of Total Flavone From Litchi Chinensis Sonn On The Expressions Of NF-ΚB And MMP-2in Rats Livers With Hepatic Fibrosis

Obejectives: To observe the effects of Total flavone from Litchi chinensisSonn(TFL) against liver fibrosis, and the expressions of Nuclear transcriptionfactors-ΚB (NF-ΚB) and Matrix metalloproteinases-2(MMP-2) in the livertissues of rats with hepatic fibrosis, To investigate the possible mechanism ofTFL against hepatic fibrosis. Methods:50male SD rats were randomly dividedinto normal control group (Normal group), model group (Fibrosis model group),high dose group of TFL(TFL high dose group), low dose group of TFL(TFLlow dose group) and colchicine positive control group (Colchicine group, Colgroup), with10rats in each group. The rats of Fibrosis model group, TFL highdose group, TFL low dose group and colchicine group were intraperitoneallyinjected with0.5%DMN solution (normal saline) at a dose of2ml/kg on theearly3days per week consecutively to make the liver fibrosis model in rats for4weeks. At the same time of modeling, TFL high dose group were gavaged withTFL200mg/(kg. Day),TFL low dose group were gavaged with TFL100mg/(kg. Day), colchicine group were gavaged with Col0.1mg/(kg.Day), normalcontrol group and model group were given equal volume of normal saline,1times a day, for6weeks. Rats were killed after6weeks, liver index and spleenindex of rats were calculated; Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartateaminotransferase (AST) level were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer,Serum hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) content were detected by enzyme-linked immunoadsordent assay. Thesame location of livers were took, and HE, Masson staining were done toobserve the degrees of liver fibrosis in rats, the degrees of liver fibrosis werescored; the expression level of NF-ΚB, MMP-2in liver tissue were detected bySP immunohistochemistry，and the expression color index were calculated; thecorrelation analysis about the level of serum of MMP-2and HA, LN and liverfibrosis score were done, the correlation analysis about the expression of NF-ΚB, MMP-2and the degree of liver fibrosis were done, also the correlationanalysis about the expression of NF-ΚB and MMP-2in liver were made too.Results: the liver and spleen index in TFL high dose group, TFL low dose groupwere significantly lower than those in Fibrosis model group (P <0.05)；SerumALT, AST, HA, LN, MMP-2levels in TFL high dose group, low dose TFLgroup were significantly lower than those in Fibrosis model group (P <0.05)；thedegrees of fibrosis of the liver tissues in TFL high dose group and TFL low dosegroup were significantly lower than those in Fibrosis model group (P<0.05), theexpression of NF-ΚB, MMP-2in liver tissues of TFL high and TFL low dosegroup was significantly lower than those in Fibrosis model group(P<0.05).Serum MMP-2, HA, LN and the degree of fibrosis were positivelycorrelations, the expression of NF-ΚB, MMP-2in liver tissue and the degree ofliver fibrosis were respectively positively correlated, and the expressions ofMMP-2, NF-ΚB in liver tissues were positively correlated too. Conclusion:TFL can reduce the liver injury and improve the degree of liver fibrosis in ratswith liver fibrosis induced by DMN. The role of inhibition the expressions ofNF-ΚB, MMP-2may participate in the anti-fibrosis mechanism of TFL.