Hepatoprotective effect of piceatannol against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in mice

Piceatannol (3,5,3 ',4 '-trans-tetrahydroxystilbene) is a natural analog and a metabolite of resveratrol present in grapes and red wine. Previous studies have reported that piceatannol exerts a broad spectrum of health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, and neuroprotective effects. However, little is known about the hepatoprotective effect of piceatannol against toxin-induced liver fibrosis. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of piceatannol in a mouse model of CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis. Oral administration of piceatannol significantly improved the hepatic functions of CCl4-treated mice in both therapeutic and preventive models. Additionally, the immunohistochemical staining results revealed that collagen deposition in CCl4-injected mice was significantly reduced by treatment with piceatannol. Moreover, piceatannol remarkably suppressed the expressions of collagen I, alpha-smooth muscle protein (alpha-SMA), and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) induced by CCl4. The anti-fibrotic mechanism of piceatannol was associated with the regulation of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)/Smad signaling pathway. Finally, piceatannol also profoundly alleviated CCl4-induced hepatic oxidative damage by elevating the level of glutathione and catalase activity. Altogether, our current findings suggest that piceatannol may serve as a bioactive agent that inhibits or alleviates toxic-induced fibroproliferative diseases, especially in the prevention of liver fibrosis.

Automated summary

Piceatannol shows hepatoprotective effects by improving liver function, reducing collagen deposition, and inhibiting hepatic oxidative damage induced by CCl4 through regulating the TGF-beta/Smad signaling pathway and increasing glutathione and catalase activity.