Hylocereus polyrhizus Peel Extract Retards Alcoholic Liver Disease Progression by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Responses in C57BL/6 Mice

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 12; p. 3884
• Main Authors: Yeh, Wan-Ju, Tsai, Chia-Chun, Ko, Jung, Yang, Hsin-Yi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.12.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Accumulation; Alcohol; alcoholic liver disease; Anti-inflammatory agents; Antibodies; Antioxidants; Binding sites; Cytokines; Endotoxins; Ethanol; Fatty acids; fatty liver; Hylocereus polyrhizus; IL-1β; Inflammation; Kinases; Laboratory animals; Lipid metabolism; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Liver; Liver diseases; Metabolism; MyD88 protein; NRF2 protein; Oxidative metabolism; Oxidative stress; Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; Plant extracts; Polyphenols; Protein expression; Proteins; red pitaya; Sterol regulatory element-binding protein; TLR4 protein; Toll-like receptors; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Taiwan; red pitaya; alcoholic liver disease; fatty liver; inflammation; oxidative stress
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12123884

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has become a health problem as alcohol consumption has increased annually. Hepatic lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation are important factors in the progression of ALD. Red pitaya ( (Weber) Britt. & Rose) peel is rich in polyphenols and betanins, which possess antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of red pitaya peel extract (PPE) on ALD and explore the associated mechanisms. C57BL/6 J mice were administered an ethanol liquid diet for 11 weeks with or without two different doses of PPE (500 and 1000 mg/kg BW). PPE treatment significantly ameliorated liver injury and hepatic fat accumulation, and it improved hepatic lipid metabolism via increases in AMPK and PPAR-α protein expression and a decrease in SREBP-1 expression. In addition, PPE inhibited CYP2E1 and Nrf2 protein expression, reduced endotoxin levels in the serum, and decreased TLR4 and MyD88 expression and inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the liver. In conclusion, these findings suggest that PPE may prevent the progression of ALD by modulating lipid metabolism and reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.