Chaihu-Shu-Gan-San regulates phospholipids and bile acid metabolism against hepatic injury induced by chronic unpredictable stress in rat

Jia H, Yu M, Ma LY, Zhang H, Zou Z · Journal of Chromatography B · 2017 October

DOI 10.1016/j.jchromb.2017.08.003

Objective

To investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of Chaihu-Shu-Gan-San against chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced hepatic injury in rats using metabonomics and liver gene expression analyses.

Conclusions

Chaihu-Shu-Gan-San inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis and regulated phospholipid and bile acid metabolism, thereby protecting rats against chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced hepatic injury.

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Insights

Chaihu-Shu-Gan-San (CSGS), a traditional Chinese medicine, protects against liver injury caused by chronic unexpected mild stress by preventing cell death and regulating key metabolic pathways.

The study used a metabonomics approach and gene expression analysis of rat liver tissue to explore the protective effect of Chaihu-Shu-Gan-San (CSGS), a traditional Chinese medicine, against liver injury induced by chronic unexpected mild stress. Eighteen potential biomarkers in the liver tissues of stressed rats were analysed to understand the mechanism of action of CSGS. Subsequent studies also examined the role of various genes associated with apoptosis and metabolism. The results suggested that CSGS improved eight of the initially perturbed biomarkers, indicating an action on pathways regulating phospholipid and bile acid metabolism in the context of stress-induced liver injury. Analyses of gene expression supported these findings, identifying changes in two apoptosis-related genes (Bcl-2 and Bax) and four genes associated with the metabolic pathways of interest. In essence, the molecular and metabolic characterisation undertaken in this study illustrates the protective effects CSGS exert on the liver, specifically against damage induced by unanticipated chronic mild stress conditions. The findings suggest that CSGS achieves this by counteracting cell death processes (apoptosis) and properly regulating key metabolic functions related to phospholipids and bile acid.