The protective effect of phloridzin (PHL) and its potential mechanism were examined in mice with liver injury induced by isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RFP). The mice were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, low (80 mg/kg), medium (160 mg/kg) and high (320 mg/kg) phloridzin-treated groups. After 28 d treatment, blood and liver tissue were collected and analysed. The results revealed that PHL regulated liver function related indicators and reduced the pathological tissue damage, indicating that PHL significantly alleviated the liver injury. Furthermore, the level of CYP450 enzyme, the expression of CYP3A4, CYP2E1, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) mRNA and protein were inhibited by PHL. These results indicated that PHL exerts a protecting effect against liver injury induced by combination of RFP and INH. The potential mechanisms may be concerned with the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway containing its key antioxidant enzymes and regulation of CYP3A4 and CYP2E1.
Keywords: CYP450; antioxidation; isoniazid; liver injury; phloridzin; rifampicin.