Glycine Attenuates LPS-Induced Apoptosis and Inflammatory Cell Infiltration in Mouse Liver

Background Liver dysfunction impairs immunological homeostasis. Glycine (Gly) has been reported to have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and to regulate apoptosis in various models. Objectives The aim of the present study was to determine whether Gly could attenuate LPS-induced liver injury. Methods In Experiment 1, 48 6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into one of 4 groups: CON (control), GLY [orally administered Gly, 5 g · kg body weight (BW)-1 · d-1 for 6 d], LPS (5 mg/kg BW, intraperitoneally administered), and GLY + LPS (Gly supplementation, and on day 7 LPS treatment). In Experiment 2, mice were untreated, pretreated with Gly as above, or pretreated with Gly + l-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) (0.5 g/kg BW, intraperitoneally administered every other day) for 6 d. On day 7, mice were injected with LPS as above. Histological alterations, activities of antioxidative enzymes, apoptosis, and immune cell infiltration were analyzed. Results In Experiment 1, compared with CON, LPS administration resulted in increased karyolysis and karyopyknosis in the liver by 8- to 10-fold, enhanced serum activities of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) by 1- to 1.8-fold, and increased hepatic apoptosis by 5.5-fold. Furthermore, LPS exposure resulted in increased infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils in the liver by 3.2- to 7.5-fold, elevated hepatic concentrations of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and elevated myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity by 1.5- to 6.3-fold. In Experiment 2, compared with the LPS group, mice in the GLY + LPS group had fewer histological alterations (68.5%-75.9%); lower serum ALT, AST, and LDH activities (24.3%-64.7%); and lower hepatic malondialdehyde and H2O2 concentrations (46.1%-80.2%), lower MPO activity (39.2%), immune cell infiltration (52.3%-85.3%), and apoptosis (69.6%), which were abrogated by BSO. Compared with the GLY + LPS group, mice in the GLY + BSO + LPS group had lower hepatic activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase by 33.5%-48.5%; increased activation of NF-κB by 2.3-fold; and impaired nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 signaling by 38.9%. Conclusions Gly is a functional amino acid with an ability to protect the liver against LPS-induced injury in mice.