Activation of FXR by schaftoside ameliorates APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by modulating oxidative stress and inflammation.

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose leads to acute liver injury by inducing hepatic mito-chondrial oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are still unclear. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) serves as a therapeutic target for the treatment of liver disorders, whose activation has been proved to protect APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. In this study, we examined whether FXR activation by schaftoside, a naturally-occurring flavonoid from Desmodium styracifolium, could protect mice against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity via regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation.We firstly found that schaftoside exhibited potent protective effects against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The study reveals that schaftoside is a potential agonist of FXR, which protects mice from hepatotoxicity mostly via regulation of oxidative stress and in-flammation. Mechanistically, the hepatoprotective of SS is associated with the induction of the genes of phase II detoxifying enzymes (e.g. UGT1A1, GSTα1), phase III drug efflux transporters (e.g. BSEP, OSTβ) and GSH metabolism-related enzymes (e.g. Gclm, Gclc). More importantly, SS-mediated FXR activation could fine-tune the pro- and anti-inflammatory eicosanoids genera-tion via altering eicosanoids metabolic pathway, thereby resulting in decrease of hepatic inflam-mation. In contrast, FXR deficiency can abrogate these-above effects. Innovation and Conclusion: Our results provided the direct evidence that FXR activation by schaftoside could attenuate APAP-induced hepatotoxicity via inhibition of NF-κB signaling and fine-tuning the generation of pro-inflammatory mediators' eicosanoids. Our findings indicate that strategies to activate FXR signaling in hepatocytes may provide a promising therapeutic approach to alleviate liver injury induced by APAP overdose.