Yating Gong - Department of Pharmacy, College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
Beibei Qiu - Department of Pathology, Feicheng Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
Haotian Zheng - Department of Pharmacy, College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
Xiangbo Li - Department of Pharmacy, College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
Yifan Wang - Department of Pharmacy, College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
Mengran Wu - Department of Pharmacy, College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
Meixing Yan - Department of Pharmacy, Qingdao Women and Children’s Hospital, Qingdao, China
Yanling Gong - Department of Pharmacy College of Chemical Engineering Qingdao University of Science and Technology Qingdao, ۲۶۶۰۴۲ China

Objective(s): Liver injury and hyperlipidemia are major issues that have drawn more and more attention in recent years. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of unacylated ghrelin (UAG) on acute liver injury and hyperlipidemia in mice.Materials and Methods: UAG was injected intraperitoneally once a day for three days. Three hours after the last administration, acute liver injury was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl۴), and acute hyperlipidemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of poloxamer ۴۰۷, respectively. Twenty-four hours later, samples were collected for serum biochemistry analysis, histopathological examination, and Western blotting.Results: In acute liver injury mice, UAG significantly decreased liver index, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), interleukin-۶ (IL-۶), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and increased superoxide dismutase(SOD) in liver tissue. NF-kappa B (NF-κB) protein expression in the liver was down-regulated. In acute hyperlipidemia mice, UAG significantly decreased serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), ALT, and AST, as well as hepatic TG levels. Meanwhile, hepatic MDA decreased and SOD increased significantly. Moreover, UAG improved the pathological damage in the liver induced by CCl۴ and poloxamer ۴۰۷, respectively.Conclusion: Intraperitoneal injection of UAG exhibited hepatoprotective and lipid-lowering effects on acute liver injury and hyperlipidemia, which is attributed to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities.

Anti-inflammatory, Anti-oxidative, Hyperlipidemia, Intraperitoneal injection, Liver injury, Unacylated ghrelin