Protective effects of garcinol in mice with lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine-induced apoptotic liver injury

• Treatment with the HATs inhibitor garcinol attenuated LPS/D-Gal-induced liver injury.
• Garcinol had no obvious effects on TNF-α and IL-6 production.
• Garcinol suppressed caspases activation, Bax expression and apoptosis.

Garcinol is a polyisoprenylated benzophenone derivative of Garcinia indica. Recent researches have revealed the antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties of garcinol. In the present study, the pharmacological effects of garcinol in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatic injury in D-galactosamine (D-Gal)-sensitized mice were investigated. We found that treatment with garcinol significantly decreased serum ALT and AST levels in LPS/D-Gal-exposed mice. These were accomplished with improved histological alterations in liver sections and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver homogenates. Garcinol significantly reduced the acetylation level of NF-κB, but it had no obvious effects on the elevation of TNF-α or IL-6 in plasma or liver tissue. Garcinol significantly attenuated LPS/D-Gal-induced hepatic apoptosis as evidenced by reduced number of TUNEL-positive cells in liver sections. Our experiments also showed that garcinol markedly suppressed the cleavage of caspase-3 and significantly decreased the activities of caspase-3, -8, and -9 in liver tissues. In addition, garcinol obviously reduced the induction of Bax but did not alter the level of Bcl-2. These results indicated that garcinol might provide protective benefits in LPS/D-Gal-induced liver injury through suppressing apoptosis.