Protective effect of luteolin against cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in mice

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Luteolin (Lut) on Cadmium (Cd)-induced liver injury in mice. A total of 60 4-week-old male Kunming mice were randomly assigned into six groups. The mice in four groups were orally gavaged with CdCl2 (5 mg/kg b.w.) and Lut (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg) for 14 days. The results showed that Lut treatment restored body weight, liver index, liver structure and serum hepatotoxicity markers in mice compared with the Cd group. It also alleviated Cd-induced oxidative stress by restoring relevant antioxidant indices and up-regulating the expression of Nrf2 pathway-related proteins. Furthermore, Lut suppressed the mRNA expression of some inflammatory factors and the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated proteins. In addition, Lut alleviated Cd-induced apoptosis by reducing hepatic apoptotic cells and reversing the expression of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway-related proteins. These results suggest that Lut treatment attenuates Cd-induced liver injury by stimulating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and apoptosis.