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Quercetin Protects Hepatocytes against CCl4-Induced Apoptosis via SIRT1 Regulation

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Abstract

Quercetin (Que) is a flavonoid compound found ubiquitously in nature with a variety of biological activities, including anti-apoptosis, anti-oxidant, free-radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), a commonly used toxic laboratory reagent which causes liver lesion and liver fibrosis, has been extensively applied in liver-related studies. The complex mechanisms of CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity involve apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This study aimed to clarify the possible protective effects of Que against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity using a murine hepatocyte cell culture model. Our results indicate that Que significantly decreased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. Additionally, Que increased cell viability, glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Overall, Que significantly abrogated CCl4-induced cell apoptosis by upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and decreasing the levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. Furthermore, Que obviously reversed the inhibition of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression. Our results provide the first evidence that Que protected against CCl4-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes by regulating the SIRT1 pathway.

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Funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2017R1D1A1B03028112), and Advancement of Science and Creativity (KOFAC) Grant funded by the Korea government (MEST).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jang-an Jeil High School, Busan, Republic of Korea

    S. H. Kim

  2. Gyeongnam Oriental Anti-Aging Institute, Sancheong, Republic of Korea

    J. C. Lee

  3. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    J. C. Lee

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  1. S. H. Kim
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Contributions

S. H. Kim (So Hyun Kim): working with cell experiments, receiving hepatocytes, sample preparation, statistical processing, writing text, analysis of cytometry results, statistical data processing; J. C. Lee (Jae Chul Lee): the concept and design of the study, writing, editing and approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

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Correspondence to J. C. Lee.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

This article does not contain any results of studies involving animal or human material as an object of investigation performed by any author within this work.

Additional information

Abbreviations: ALT—alanine aminotransferase, AST—aspartate aminotransferase, CCl4—carbon tetrachloride, GSH—glutathione, Que—quercetin, SOD—superoxide dismutase.

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Kim, S.H., Lee, J.C. Quercetin Protects Hepatocytes against CCl4-Induced Apoptosis via SIRT1 Regulation. Cell Tiss. Biol. 15, 381–387 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1990519X21040039

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