Broccoli sprout extract protected the liver from various types of xenobiotic substances through induction of detoxification enzymes and glutathione synthesis. - GreenMedInfo Summary

AIM: To investigate the effects of broccoli sprout extract (BSEx) on liver gene expression and acute liver injury in the rat.

METHODS: First, the effects of BSEx on liver gene expression were examined. Male rats were divided into two groups. The Control group was fed the AIN-76 diet, and the BSEx group was fed the AIN-76 diet containing BSEx. After a 10-d feeding period, rats were sacrificed and their livers were used for DNA microarray and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses. Next, the effects of BSEx on acute liver injury were examined. In experiments using acute liver injury models, 1000 mg/kg acetaminophen (APAP) or 350 mg/kg D-galactosamine (D-GalN) was used to induce injury. These male rats were divided into four groups: Control, BSEx, Inducer (APAP or D-GalN), and Inducer+BSEx. The feeding regimens were identical for the two analyses. Twenty-four hours following APAP administration via p.o. or D-GalN administration via i.p., rats were sacrificed to determine serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, hepatic glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances accumulation and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity.

RESULTS: Microarray and real-time RT-PCR analyses revealed that BSEx upregulated the expression of genes related to detoxification and glutathione synthesis in normal rat liver. The levels of AST (70.91± 15.74 IU/mL vs 5614.41 ± 1997.83 IU/mL, P<0.05) and ALT (11.78± 2.08 IU/mL vs 1297.71 ± 447.33 IU/mL, P<0.05) were significantly suppressed in the APAP + BSEx group compared with the APAP group. The level of GSH (2.61± 0.75 nmol/g tissue vs 1.66 ± 0.59 nmol/g tissue, P<0.05) and liver GST activity (93.19± 16.55 U/g tissue vs 51.90 ± 16.85 U/g tissue, P<0.05) were significantly increased in the APAP + BSEx group compared with the APAP group. AST (4820.05± 3094.93 IU/mL vs 12465.63 ± 3223.97 IU/mL, P<0.05) and ALT (1808.95± 1014.04 IU/mL vs 3936.46 ± 777.52 IU/mL, P<0.05) levels were significantly suppressed in the D-GalN + BSEx group compared with the D-GalN group, but the levels of AST and ALT in the D-GalN + BSEx group were higher than those in the APAP + BSEx group. The level of GST activity was significantly increased in the D-GalN + BSEx group compared with the D-GalN group (98.04± 15.75 U/g tissue vs 53.15 ± 8.14 U/g tissue, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that BSEx protected the liver from various types of xenobiotic substances through induction of detoxification enzymes and glutathione synthesis.