AUTHOR=Liu Tong , Zhang Ning , Kong Lingya , Chu Sijie , Zhang Ting , Yan Guangdi , Ma Donglai , Dai Jun , Ma Zhihong 

TITLE=Paeoniflorin alleviates liver injury in hypercholesterolemic rats through the ROCK/AMPK pathway

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.968717

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.968717

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p>Paeoniflorin (PF) is the main active component in <italic>Paeonia lactiflora Pall</italic>, and it has multiple effects. However, the precise mechanism of PF in hypercholesterolemia is unclear. In this study, rats were either fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) for 4 weeks to establish the hypercholesterolemic model or administered normal saline or PF (20 mg/kg/day). PF significantly reduced liver weight and the liver index. PF reduced hepatic lipid deposition and inflammation, improved serum lipid metabolism, and significantly inhibited serum and hepatic oxidative stress and the inflammatory response. PF treatment caused a marked decrease in the phosphorylated myosin phosphatase target subunit (p-MYPT)-1, nuclear sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS) levels, and an increase in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and phosphorylated-AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK). Thus, PF could alleviate liver injury in hypercholesterolemic rats, and the specific mechanism may be related to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties, and ROCK/AMPK/SREBP-1c signaling pathway.</p>