Protective effect of hyperoside against acetaminophen (APAP) induced liver injury through enhancement of APAP clearance

• Hyperoside protects against APAP-induced liver injury.
• Hyperoside enhances activities and mRNA expressions of UGTs and SULTs.
• Hyperoside inhibits activity of CYP2E1.
• Hyperoside activates nuclear Nrf-2 translocation.

Acetaminphen (APAP) overdose leads to severe hepatotoxicity. Apocynum venetum L. (A. venetum) possess potent hepatoprotective effect. Hyperoside is one of the major compounds exist in Apocynum venetum L. and might be a potential agent to protect against APAP-induce liver injury. In this study, we investigated the effect of hyperoside on APAP hepatotoxicity in mice. Mice were treated intragastrically with hyperoside (10, 50 or 100 mg/kg) for 3 days before APAP (300 mg/kg) injection. APAP alone caused severe liver injury characterized by significantly increased serum aminotransferase levels, hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) formation, as well as liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH) depletions. Hyperoside significantly attenuated APAP-induced liver damages in a dose dependent manner, and 100 mg/kg was the most effective dose. Further study confirmed that hyperoside was able to increase activities and mRNA expressions of uridine diphoshate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) and sulfotransferases (SULTs), as well as to inhibit CYP2E1 activities, and thereby suppressed toxic intermediate formation and promoted APAP hepatic detoxification. Nrf-2 activation might be involved in hyperoside induced up-regulation of phase II enzymes. Collectively, our data provide evidence that hyperoside protected the liver against APAP induced injury mainly by accelerating APAP harmless metabolism, implying that hyperoside can be considered as a potential natural hepatoprotective agent.