Amelioration of alcohol-induced liver injury in mice by ginsenosides in ginseng wine

We optimized conditions for preparation of ginseng wine and explored hepatoprotective effects of ginsenosides against alcohol-induced liver injury in mice by transcriptomics analyses. Mice were treated by daily intragastric administration of water, 55%-ethanol, or ginseng-wine. Results showed that mRNA levels of Adh1 and Cyp2e1, which encode the two enzymes involved in the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde, were increased by alcohol intake and were significantly attenuated by ginsenosides. The mRNA level of Cat, which encodes another enzyme in alcohol metabolism, showed the opposite change. Thus, ginsenosides might influence alcohol metabolism by suppressing the CYP2E1 and ADH pathways, and enhancing the CAT pathway to prevent acetaldehyde and peroxide accumulation, respectively. Alcohol consumption also enhanced mRNA levels of Srebp-1c, Gsta2 and Tlr4, which encode transcription factors important in lipogenesis, oxidative stress, and inflammation, respectively. These increases in expression were also attenuated by ginsenosides. The results were further verified by qRT-PCR and western blotting.