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Carveol a Naturally-Derived Potent and Emerging Nrf2 Activator Protects Against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity
Frontiers in Pharmacology
  • Zaif Ur Rahman, Shenzhen University; Abdul Wali Khan University
  • Lina Tariq Al Kury, Zayed University
  • Abdullah Alattar, University of Tabuk
  • Zhen Tan, Shenzhen University
  • Reem Alshaman, University of Tabuk
  • Imran Malik, Riphah International University
  • Haroon Badshah, Abdul Wali Khan University
  • Zia Uddin, COMSATS University Islamabad
  • Atif Ali Khan Khalil, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
  • Naveed Muhammad, Abdul Wali Khan University
  • Saifullah Khan, Abasyn University Peshawar
  • Amjad Ali, University of Malakand
  • Fawad Ali Shah, Riphah International University
  • Jing Bo Li, Shenzhen University
  • Shupeng Li, Peking University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-28-2021
Abstract

Acetaminophen (N-acetyl p-aminophenol or APAP) is used worldwide for its antipyretic and anti-inflammatory potential. However, APAP overdose sometimes causes severe liver damage. In this study, we elucidated the protective effects of carveol in liver injury, using molecular and in silico approaches. Male BALB/c mice were divided into two experimental cohorts, to identify the best dose and to further assess the role of carveol in the nuclear factor E2-related factor; nuclear factor erythroid 2; p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. The results demonstrated that carveol significantly modulated the detrimental effects of APAP by boosting endogenous antioxidant mechanisms, such as nuclear translocation of Nrf2 gene, a master regulator of the downstream antioxidant machinery. Furthermore, an inhibitor of Nrf2, called all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), was used, which exaggerated APAP toxicity, in addition to abrogating the protective effects of carveol; this effect was accompanied by overexpression of inflammatory mediators and liver = 2ltoxicity biomarkers. To further support our notion, we performed virtual docking of carveol with Nrf2-keap1 target, and the resultant drug-protein interactions validated the in vivo findings. Together, our findings suggest that carveol could activate the endogenous master antioxidant Nrf2, which further regulates the expression of downstream antioxidants, eventually ameliorating the APAP-induced inflammation and oxidative stress.

Publisher
Frontiers
Keywords
  • Acetaminophen,
  • Carveol,
  • Hepatotoxicity,
  • Anti-inflammatory,
  • Nrf2 pathway
Scopus ID

85100886981

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
Citation Information
Zaif Ur Rahman, Lina Tariq Al Kury, Abdullah Alattar, Zhen Tan, et al.. "Carveol a Naturally-Derived Potent and Emerging Nrf2 Activator Protects Against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity" Frontiers in Pharmacology Vol. 11 (2021) ISSN: <p><a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/1663-9812" target="_blank">1663-9812</a></p>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lina-alkury/12/