Effect of Total Flavone from Litchi chinensis Sonn on the Expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in Livers of Rats with Hepatic Fibrosis

Objective To investigate the effects of total flavone of Litchi chinensis Sonn( TFL) on TLR4 and NF-κB expression in the livers of rats with hepatic fibrosis. Methods Eighty male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control,model control,TFL at low-dose( 100 mg·kg-1·d-1) and high-dose( 200 mg·kg-1·d-1). The model of liver fibrosis in rats was induced by ligating common bile duct( CBDL) for all rats except for the normal controls. The rats were treated with TFL and 0. 9% physiological saline in the tested,the normal and model groups,respectively once a day for 4 weeks. All rats were sacrificed in the end,and the livers were collected for histopathological studied by hematoxylin-eosin( HE) staining and Masson Trichrome( MT) examination. The expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB in livers of above four groups were detected by immune-histologic chemistry( IHC). Results Compared with the model group,significantly milder liver fibrosis and lower collagen expression were found in the high-dose of TFL treated group( P 0. 01). The score of TLR4 expression in the normal and model groups,TFL at low-dose and high-dose was( 0. 4 ± 0. 5),( 3. 3 ± 0. 6),( 3. 1 ± 0. 5),( 1. 4 ± 0. 5),and that of NF-κB was( 0. 80 ± 0. 77),( 5. 12 ± 0. 89),( 4. 68 ± 0. 70),and( 3. 47 ± 0. 61),respectively. The protein expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in the model group was significantly higher than that in the normal control and TFL high-dose group( P 0. 01),but had no obvious difference from the lower dose group. Conclusion Higher expression of TLR4 and NF-κB may be involved in the liver fibrogenisis and development by CBDL in rats. TFL at high-dose may improve liver fibrosis induced by CBDL via inhibiting the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in hepatic tissue in rats.