Effects of oleanolic acid and hederagenin on acute alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice

We studied the effects of oleanolic acid and hederagenin on acute alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Oleanolic acid [10 and 20 mg/kg body weight (BW)/d] or hederagenin (10 and 20 mg/kg BW/d) was orally administered to the study group for 1 week. On the last day of treatment, ethanol (5 g/kg BW) was orally administered to induce acute liver injury. The oleanolic acid-treated group showed lower levels of alanine aminotransferase compared to the ethanol-treated group (EtOH). The mRNA expression level of alcohol dehydrogenase was significantly increased in the high dosage oleanolic acid-treated group compared with the control and EtOH groups. The glutathione levels of the oleanolic acid or hederagenin-treated groups were elevated significantly compared with those of the control and EtOH groups. The mRNA expression levels of glutathione synthetic enzymes were also elevated in the oleanolic acid-treated groups. The oleanolic acid or hederagenin-treated groups also showed lower levels of mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha. Thus, these results show that oleanolic acid and hederagenin could reduce oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in ethanol-treated mouse liver.