Comparative Analysis of the Antioxidative and Hepatoprotective Activities of Dimethyl Diphenyl Bicarboxylate in Four Animal Models of Hepatic Injury

As a well-known hepatoprotective and antioxidant agent, dimethyl diphenyl bicarboxylate (DDB) has frequently been employed to remedy various liver diseases. However, it is still uncertain whether DDB exerts consistent hepatoprotective and antioxidative activities against varying degrees of hepatic damage. Therefore, DDB (100, 25, 5, or 50 mg/kg depending on the model) was administered to animals in four representative models of liver injury (CCl4 chemical acute model, DMN subchronic model, TAA chronic model, and restraint stress psychological acute model). Horizontal comparative analysis indicated that DDB significantly lowered the excess serum AST and ALT levels in the CCl4 and DMN models but not in the TAA and restraint stress models. In accordance with this result, DDB markedly reduced oxidative stress indices (hepatic MDA and ROS) but restored five main antioxidant components (GSH content, GSH-peroxidase, GSH-reductase, SOD, and catalase activity) in the CCl4 and DMN models. DDB failed to normalize oxidative stressors in the restraint stress-induced injury model and restore these five antioxidant components in the TAA model. Overall, our results produced a comprehensive overview of the effects of DDB on oxidative stressors and the main antioxidative components using four animal models. These findings will provide valuable clues to guide therapeutic clinical applications.

Automated summary

The study investigated the hepatoprotective and antioxidative activities of DDB using four animal models and found that DDB significantly reduced serum AST and ALT levels and oxidative stress indices in CCl4 and DMN models, but not in TAA and restraint stress models. DDB also restored antioxidant components in CCl4 and DMN models, but not in TAA and restraint stress models.