The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effects and the underlying mechanisms of Danshensu on liver injury induced by iron overload. The mouse model was induced by injection of iron dextran intraperitoneally for 14 d. Danshensu significantly ameliorated liver injury by decreasing iron accumulation in the liver, possibly by down-regulating the expression of iron uptake-related proteins: divalent metal ion transporters-1 (DMT-1), transferrin receptor (TfR), and L-type calcium channel α1C subunit. Furthermore, Danshensu alleviated oxidative stress injury through potentiating glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities; Immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that Danshensu reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines: interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Moreover, Danshensu prominently inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis through decreasing Bax and Caspase-3 and increasing Bcl-2 expression levels. The present results suggest that Danshensu possess significant hepatic-protection at least partly through inhibition of iron uptake, oxidative stress, inflammatory, and apoptosis. Therefore, we believe that Danshensu could be used as a promising therapeutic agent for preventing and treating iron overload diseases.
Keywords: Danshensu; apoptosis; inflammatory; iron overload; iron uptake; oxidative stress.