PUBLICATION
Evaluation of hepatotoxicity potential of a potent traditional Tibetan medicine Zuotai
- Authors
- Zhou, L., Chen, H., He, Q., Li, C., Wei, L., Shang, J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-181224-25
- Date
- 2018
- Source
- Journal of ethnopharmacology 234: 112-118 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Shang, Jing
- Keywords
- HgS, Zebrafish, Zuotai, hepatocytes, hepatotoxicity
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Apoptosis/drug effects*
- Blotting, Western
- Cell Survival/drug effects
- Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/etiology*
- Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/pathology
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Hepatocytes/drug effects*
- Hepatocytes/pathology
- Humans
- In Situ Nick-End Labeling
- Medicine, Tibetan Traditional/adverse effects
- Medicine, Tibetan Traditional/methods
- Mercury Compounds/administration & dosage
- Mercury Compounds/toxicity*
- Rats
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Time Factors
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 30580024 Full text @ J. Ethnopharmacol.
Citation
Zhou, L., Chen, H., He, Q., Li, C., Wei, L., Shang, J. (2018) Evaluation of hepatotoxicity potential of a potent traditional Tibetan medicine Zuotai. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 234:112-118.
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance Zuotai (gTso thal) has a long history in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, liver and bile diseases, spleen and stomach diseases as a precious adjuvant in Tibetan medicine. Zuotai is a mercury preparation that contains 54% HgS. Mercury (Hg) is well-known to its toxicity in the liver.
Aim of the study To evaluate the toxicological effects of Zuotai in hepatocytes and in zebrafish.
Materials and methods MTT was used to determine the survival rate of hepatocytes; Hochest and TUNEL staining were used to detect the apoptotic cells; Western blot and Q-PCR were used to determine the expression of protein and mRNA; Liver morphology observation and H&E staining were used to evaluate the hepatotoxicity of Zuotai in Zebfrafish.
Results The survival rate of L-02 cells, HepG2 cells and RBL-2A cells reduced by Zuotai in a dose and time-dependent manner. Zuotai induced HepG2 cells shrinkage, condensation and fragmentation and increased the number of apoptosis cells. Caspase-3, Bax protein expression levels were increased and Bcl-2 expression levels were reduced after HepG2 cells exposed to Zuotai for 24h. In addition, Zuotai induced the darker liver color of the larval zebrafish and the changes of liver morphologic of adult zebrafish. Zuotai also increased the mRNA levels of CYP1A1, CYP1B1 and MT-1 in the liver of adult zebrafish. However, HgS had not significantly hepatotoxicity in hepatocytes and zebrafish.
Conclusions Results show that Zuotai induced hepatotoxicity effectively under a certain dose but its hepatotoxicity likely occurs via other mechanisms that are independent of HgS.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping