Liver Protection of a Low-Polarity Fraction from <i>Ficus pandurata</i> Hance, Prepared by Supercritical CO₂ Fluid Extraction, on CCl₄-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice via Inhibiting Apoptosis and Ferroptosis Mediated by Strengthened Antioxidation

Abstract

Ficus pandurata Hance (FPH) is a Chinese herbal medicine widely used for health care. This study was designed to investigate the alleviation efficacy of the low-polarity ingredients of FPH (FPHLP), prepared by supercritical CO2 fluid extraction technology, against CCl4-induced acute liver injury (ALI) in mice and uncover its underlying mechanism. The results showed that FPHLP had a good antioxidative effect determined by the DPPH free radical scavenging activity test and T-AOC assay. The in vivo study showed that FPHLP dose-dependently protected against liver damage via detection of ALT, AST, and LDH levels and changes in liver histopathology. The antioxidative stress properties of FPHLP suppressed ALI by increasing levels of GSH, Nrf2, HO-1, and Trx-1 and reducing levels of ROS and MDA and the expression of Keap1. FPHLP significantly reduced the level of Fe2+ and expression of TfR1, xCT/SLC7A11, and Bcl2, while increasing the expression of GPX4, FTH1, cleaved PARP, Bax, and cleaved caspase 3. The results demonstrated that FPHLP protected mouse liver from injury induced by CCl4 via suppression of apoptosis and ferroptosis. This study suggests that FPHLP can be used for liver damage protection in humans, which strongly supports its traditional use as a herbal medicine.

Keywords

• <i>Ficus pandurata</i> Hance
• liver injury
• supercritical CO₂ fluid extraction
• apoptosis
• ferroptosis
• antioxidation