Naringin protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced cardiac injury in mice.

Previous research has demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can induce sepsis and lead to myocardial dysfunction. Naringin has various biological activities in LPS-induced sepsis. In this study, our aim was to investigate the effects of Naringin on LPS-induced cardiac injury and clarify its potential mechanism. We found that in vivo treatment with Naringin significantly ameliorated body weight loss, and attenuated cardiac histopathological changes after LPS challenge. Furthermore, Naringin inhibited LPS-induced increase of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 activities to alleviate inflammatory response in heart. Moreover, Naringin supplement dramatically increased SOD levels, and prevented MDA levels to ameliorate oxidative stress compared with the LPS group in heart. Lastly, treatment with Naringin also significantly decreased the ratio of BAX to BCL-2 to resist apoptosis in heart. It is concluded that Naringin may be a promising therapeutic agent on LPS-induced cardiac injury by anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic effects.