Hepatoprotective effects of Solanum nigrum against ethanol-induced injury in primary hepatocytes and mice with analysis of glutathione S-transferase A1.

Background: Solanum nigrum is a herbaceous perennial plant, which is widely used in traditional medicine systems for its antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, antitumorigenic, and anti-inflammatory characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of S. nigrum against alcoholic liver damage in primary hepatocytes and mice, using glutathione S-transferase alpha 1 (GSTA1) as an indicator.

Methods: Primary hepatocytes were obtained by the inverse perfusion method improved on Seglen two-step perfusion in situ.

Results: In the presence of S. nigrum aqueous extracts (100 μg/mL), no hepatocytic damage was observed in cells treated with ethanol, compared with the model group, and GSTA1 (p < 0.01) was more sensitive than alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (p < 0.05). Mice that received S. nigrum aqueous extracts (150 mg/kg) with ethanol showed marked attenuation of ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity, as evidenced by significant reductions of serum transaminases (p < 0.01), and variation of hepatic oxidative indices (p < 0.05) and GSTA1 (p < 0.05), compared with the model group and mice that received S. nigrum aqueous extracts (200 mg/kg). All the detection indexes were significantly different (p < 0.01) from those of the model group, and the protective effects were almost the same as that of the positive drug group.

Conclusion: These results suggested that S. nigrum has hepatoprotective effects against ethanol-induced injury both in vitro and in vivo, and can protect the integrity of hepatocytes and thus reduce the release of liver GSTA1, which contributes to improved liver detoxification.