Profiles of serum cytokines and Tregs in acute liver injury

摘要

Liver diseases are one of the major causes of human death. Growing evidence suggests that hepatitis is associated with liver injury, which is largely mediated by immune mechanisms. Pharmacological compounds capable of regulating the immune response seem to be suitable candidates for prevention/treatment of this pathology. The peel of citrus fruits is a rich source of polymethoxylated flavones, which exhibit abilities to modulate the inflammatory response and carcinogenesis. Therefore, citrus fruits represent a potentially important source of anti-inflammatory flavonoids in the human diet. The aim of this study was to define the effect and mechanism of the action of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive mixture of Citrus Peel Extract (CPE) on the immune-mediated liver injury. The results of our study was revealed that CPE application notably prevents development of liver injury through decreasing levels of both serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, INF) and regulatory T cells, and increasing levels of IL-10. Thus, the findings lead to the development of fundamentally new ways for prevention and/or arrest of acute liver injury