Glycyrrhizin mediated liver-targeted alginate nanogels delivers quercetin to relieve acute liver failure

Acute liver failure is an uncommon and dramatic clinical syndrome with a high risk of mortality. Previous treatments existed some limitations of poor bioavailability and targeting the efficiency of drugs. In this study, a novel glycyrrhizin mediated liver-targeted alginate nanogels, which can deliver the antioxidant quercetin to the liver for the treatment of acute liver injury. In vitro radical scavenging results showed that the antioxidant activity of quercetin was increased 81-fold. The tissue distribution results indicated that glycyrrhizin-mediated nanogels showed stronger fluorescence intensity in the liver, which improved liver targeting and therapeutic efficacy. Quercetin-glycyrrhizin nanogels were more effective at restoring liver injury as indicated on serum markers, including alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin. The histopathology result showed that quercetin-glycyrrhizin nanogels reversed liver damage. Oxidative parameters of malondialdehyde and glutathione s-transferase were decreased, which provided supporting evidence of antioxidation. Moreover, quercetin-glycyrrhizin nanogels were more effective in down-regulating the inflammation-related gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase and monocyte chemotactic protein-1. In conclusion, the novel glycyrrhizin mediated liver-targeted alginate nanogels might be a promising treatment for acute liver failure.