Tacrine, an Oral Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor, Induced Hepatic Oxidative Damage, Which Was Blocked by Liquiritigenin through GSK3-beta Inhibition

• Published in: Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 184 - 192
• Main Authors: Park, Sang Mi, Ki, Sung Hwan, Han, Nu Ri, Cho, Il Je, Ku, Sae Kwang, Kim, Sang Chan, Zhao, Rong Jie, Kim, Young Woo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 01.02.2015; Pharmaceutical Society of Japan; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Alanine Transaminase - blood; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Cell Line; Cell Survival - drug effects; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - drug therapy; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - metabolism; Cholinesterase Inhibitors - toxicity; Flavanones - pharmacology; Flavanones - therapeutic use; Glutathione - metabolism; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 - antagonists & inhibitors; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; glycogen synthase kinase-3β; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; liquiritigenin; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Mice; mitochondria; oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Protective Agents - pharmacology; Protective Agents - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; tacrine; Tacrine - toxicity
• ISSN: 0918-6158; 1347-5215
• DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b14-00430

Although the cholinesterase inhibitor tacrine has been successfully used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, it is known to have hepatotoxic effects. Liquiritigenin (LQ), an active flavonoid in Glycyrrhizae radix, exerts protective effects against liver damage. This study investigated the toxic effect of tacrine on hepatocytes and the beneficial effect of LQ on tacrine intoxication in vivo and in vitro, and the underlying mechanism involved. In hepatocyte cell lines, tacrine induced cell death and oxidative stress, as indicated by decreases in cell viability and glutathione (GSH) contents, which were blocked by pretreatment with LQ. Fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis revealed that LQ inhibited cellular H2O2 production and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by tacrine in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, LQ promoted inhibitory phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) and prevented decreases in GSK3β phosphorylation induced by tacrine. In rats treatment with tacrine at 30 mg/kg increased hepatic damage as assessed by blood biochemistry and histopathology. Administration of LQ (10 or 30 mg/kg/d, per os (p.o.)) or the hepatoprotective drug sylimarin (100 mg/kg/d) for 3 d inhibited elevations in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and histological changes induced by tacrine. These results show that LQ efficaciously protects the rat liver against tacrine-induced liver damage, and suggest that LQ is a therapeutic candidate for ameliorating the hepatotoxic effects of tacrine.