Effects of salvianolic acid A on oxidative stress and liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effects of salvianolic acid A, a novel antioxidant, against oxidative stress and acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats, and the mechanisms underlying its protective effects. Administration of CCl4 to rats caused severe hepatic damage, as demonstrated by the significant increase in the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and classic histological changes including hepatocyte necrosis or apoptosis, haemorrhage, fatty degeneration, etc. Co-treatment with salvianolic acid A (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), a water-soluble extract from a Chinese traditional drug, Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza, significantly decreased CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. Salvianolic acid A not only decreased serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferas levels and ameliorated histopathological manifestations in CCl4-treated rats, but also reduced oxidative stress, as evidenced by decreased reactive oxygen species production and malondialdehyde concentrations in the liver tissues, combined with elevated hepatic superoxide dismutase activity and gluthathione content. In addition, salvianolic acid A treatment remarkably reduced intrahepatic tumour necrosis factor-α concentrations and caspase-3 activities as compared with the CCl4-treated rats. The results suggested that treatment with salvianolic acid A provides a potent protective effect against acute hepatic damage caused by CCl4 in rats, which may mainly be related to its antioxidative effect. © 2007 The Authors.