Protective effects of total flavonoids of Bidens pilosa L. (TFB) on animal liver injury and liver fibrosis

The hepatoprotective effects of total flavonoids of Bidens pilosa L. (TFB), a traditional Chinese medicine were evaluated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in mice and rats. Total flavonoids of Bidens pilosa L. (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) were administered via gavage daily for 10 days to CCl4-treated mice as well as TFB (30, 60 and 90 mg/kg) administered for 6 weeks to CCl4-treated rats. Liver index (liver weight/body weight), serum levels of transaminases (alanine aminotransferase, ALT and aspartate aminotransferase, AST), hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were evaluated following the 10 days treatment in mice. In addition histopathologic changes and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression of the liver were detected with hematoxylin–eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry methods, respectively. The results showed that TFB (50 and 100 mg/kg) effectively reduced the CCl4-induced elevated liver index, serum ALT, AST levels, hepatic MDA content, and restored hepatic SOD, GSH-Px activities in acute liver injury mice. TFB (60 and 90 mg/kg) treatment significantly inhibited NF-κB activation in liver fibrosis of rats. The histopathological analysis suggested that TFB reduced the degree of liver injury in mice and severity of liver fibrosis in rats. These results suggested that TFB had a protective and therapeutic effect on animal liver injury, which might be associated with its antioxidant properties and inhibition of NF-κB activation.