Fraxinellone Induces Hepatotoxicity in Zebrafish through Oxidative Stress and the Transporters Pathway

Abstract

Fraxinellone (FRA), a major active component from Cortex Dictamni, produces hepatotoxicity via the metabolization of furan rings by CYP450. However, the mechanism underlying the hepatotoxicity of FRA remains unclear. Therefore, zebrafish larvae at 72 h post fertilization were used to evaluate the metabolic hepatotoxicity of FRA and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. The results showed that FRA (10–30 μM) induced liver injury and obvious alterations in the metabolomics of zebrafish larvae. FRA induces apoptosis by increasing the level of ROS and activating the JNK/P53 pathway. In addition, FRA can induce cholestasis by down-regulating bile acid transporters P-gp, Bsep, and Ntcp. The addition of the CYP3A inhibitor ketoconazole (1 μM) significantly reduced the hepatotoxicity of FRA (30 μM), which indicated that FRA induced hepatotoxicity through CYP3A metabolism. Targeted metabolomics analysis indicates the changes in amino acid levels can be combined with molecular biology to clarify the mechanism of hepatotoxicity induced by FRA, and amino acid metabolism monitoring may provide a new method for the prevention and treatment of DILI from FRA.