Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice can improve S-adenosylmethionine consumption and liver damage induced by arsenic in rats

BackgroundArsenic exposure can lead to liver dysfunction, liver steatosis, hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and other liver injuries, but its mechanism is still unclear and effective treatment methods are lacking.ObjectiveTo investigate the potential intervention effect and associated mechanism of Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice on arsenic-induced liver injury in rats from the perspective of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) metabolism.MethodsThirty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups, six rats in each group, half male and half female. The low, medium, and high dose groups of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) were given 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 NaAsO2 mg·kg−1 (body weight, thereafter), respectively; the control group was given 10 mL·kg−1 deionized water; the Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice intervention group was given 10 mg·kg−1 NaAsO2 for 4 h and then 10 mL·kg−1 Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice; the Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice control group was given 10 mL·kg−1 Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice by gavage. All rats were gavaged once a day, 6 d per week for 4 months. Histopathological changes of rat liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Total bile acids (TBA) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) were detected by enzyme cycle method and rate method, respectively. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was used to evaluate SAM and S-adenosylhomo cysteine (SAH) in rat liver. Real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcriptional PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of the genes of glycine-N-methyltransferase (Gnmt), nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (Nnmt), and phosphatidylethano-lamine N-mathyltransferase (Pemt).ResultsIn the control group, the liver nuclei were stained clearly, the cytoplasm was stained uniformly, and the liver cords were arranged radially without inflammatory infiltration. In the low, medium, and high dose groups of NaAsO2, hepatic sinusoidal dilation, congestion, and inflammatory infiltration were observed to different degrees. Compared with the control group, TBA in the medium and high dose groups of NaAsO2, and γ-GT in the high dose group of NaAsO2 were significantly increased (P