Dendrobium officinale aqueous extract regulates bile acid synthesis to improve acute alcoholic liver injury in mice

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the most common type of chronic liver disease worldwide, which is linked to bile acid (BA) metabolism dysregulation. Large population studies showed that dendrobium officinale (D. officinale) could improve liver damage, however, the underlying mechanism of D. officinale altered BA metabolism in hepatic is still unclear. The protective effects of D. officinale aqueous extract (DOAE) on acute alcoholic liver injury (AALI) by determining the serum biochemical indicators and liver pathology in mice, and the mechanism was by analyzing the alteration of BA through liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into five groups: the control, model, DOAE high and low dose group, and the silymarin positive group. The control and model groups were given distilled water, other groups were respectively given DOAE, and silymarin by gavage for 14 consecutive days. On the 14th day, mice were given a single dose of 53% ethanol 2 h after administration except for the control group. The results showed that DOAE could protect AALI by inhibiting the alcohol-induced elevation of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and triacylglycerol (TG) levels. Moreover, DOAE could change the composition and content of hepatic BAs in mice, especially regulate hepatic BAs synthesis by activating the hepatic FXR-SHP signaling axis with subsequently decreased the expression of cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) which mediated the synthesis of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). Therefore, BA metabolism may be the potential target of the protective effect of DOAE.