Chinese Herb Jiedu Huayu Granules Inhibiting Immune and Inflammatory Response of Rats with Acute Liver Failure by Regulating the NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Abstract

Objective. To research the influence of Chinese medicine Jiedu Huayu granules (JDHY) on the immune response and inflammatory response of rats with acute liver failure (ALF) and investigate its related mechanism. Methods. Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group ( $n=6$ ) were injected with the same amount of normal saline; ALF group ( $n=10$ ) were injected intraperitoneally with D-GaIN (700 mg/kg) and LPS (10 μg/kg); ALF+JDHY group ( $n=10$ ) were given JDHY 57.55 g/kg/d by gavage for 7 days and injected intraperitoneally with D-GaIN/LPS after the last dose; and ALF+BAY group ( $n=10$ ) were given BAY 10 mg/kg/d by gavage for 7 days and injected intraperitoneally with D-GaIN/LPS after the last dose. Changes in liver function and coagulation function were examined in rat serum; the pathological varieties of liver tissues were verified by HE staining; immunohistochemistry was utilized to determine the ratio of PCNA and F4/80 in liver tissues; the flow cytometry was applied to determine the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); ELISA and qRT-PCR were utilized to check the level of IL-10, IL-6, IL-13, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and CD163 in serum and liver cells. Western blot was adopted to check the expression of apoptotic protein and expression and NF-κB pathway-related protein expression. Results. JDHY and BAY could decline the expression of AST, ALT, ALP, and TBiL in ALF rat serum significantly ( $P<0.01$ ), increase PTA and PLT ( $P<0.01$ ), and mitigate liver tissue damage. Besides, JDHY and BAY could reduce the apoptosis and improve the proliferation of the liver cells in rats with ALF; meanwhile, the ratio of CD4+ cells and F4/80 cells was reduced while CD8+ cells were increased ( $P<0.01$ ). Further, JDHY and BAY could reduce the level of IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α while increasing the level of IL-10 and IL-13 ( $P<0.01$ ). Additionally, the expression of sCD163 in serum and CD163 expression in liver tissues increased ( $P<0.01$ ). The result of western blot confirmed that JDHY could inhibit the phosphorylated expression of NF-κB, IKβα, and IKKβ in the ALF rat tissues. Conclusions. JDHY can upregulate the level of CD163/sCD163 by the NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby regulating immune response, inhibiting inflammatory response, and ultimately improving ALF in the rats.