Hepatoprotective and antioxidative effects of total phenolics from Laggera pterodonta on chemical-induced injury in primary cultured neonatal rat hepatocytes

Although Laggera pterodonta as a folk medicine has been widely used for several centuries to ameliorate some inflammatory ailments as hepatitis in China, there have been no studies of the hepatoprotective and antioxidative effects of this plant. In this paper, the hepatoprotective effect of total phenolics from L. pterodonta (TPLP) against CCI₄-, d-GalN-, TAA-, and t-BHP-induced injury was examined in primary cultured neonatal rat hepatocytes. TPLP inhibited the cellular leakage of two enzymes, hepatocyte ASAT and ALAT, caused by these chemicals and improved cell viability. Moreover, TPLP afforded much stronger protection than the reference drug silibinin. Meanwhile, DPPH and superoxide radicals scavenging activities of TPLP were also determined. The present investigation is the first to report chemical-induced injury model in primary cultured neonatal rat hepatocytes and provide evidence for the hepatoprotective and antioxidative effects of L. pterodonta. Neutralizing reactive oxygen species by nonenzymatic mechanisms may be one of main mechanisms of TPLP against chemical-induced hepatocyte injury. Furthermore, The total phenolic content of L. pterodonta and its main component type were quantified, and its principle components isochlorogenic acids were isolated and authenticated. These data support the folkloric uses of L. pterodonta in the treatment of hepatitis.