LAUSR

Abstract The current study aimed to investigate the protective effects of polyphenolic extracts from Wushan tea leaves (WST-PE) on the liver of Kunming mice subjected to CCl4. Flavonoids, flavanones, and flavonols were major components of WST-PE that improved the elevation in serum AST and ALT and reduced the liver coefficient and pathological change in mice treated with CCl4. The CCl4-induced increase in MDA and decrease in antioxidases (SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px) were reversed by WST-PE. In mice treated with WST-PE, the mRNA expression levels of hepatic SOD1, SOD2, CAT, and GSH-Px increased, whereas the serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and TNF-α decreased relative to those in the CCl4-treated mice. WST-PE reduced hepatic inflammation in mice by enhancing the protein expression of IκBα and suppressing the expression of NF-κB, COX-2, and iNOS. The hepatoprotective effects of WST-PE were partly attributed to the improvement of anti-oxidation and suppression of NF-κB signaling-mediated inflammation.