Protective effects of BML-111 against acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in mice

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of the new formyl peptide receptor 2/lipoxin A4 receptor agonist BML-111 on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury in mice and explore its possible mechanism(s). Male Swiss albino mice were intraperitoneally injected with BML-111 (1 mg/kg) twice daily for five consecutive days prior to a single intraperitoneal injection of APAP (500 mg/kg). Results have shown that APAP injection caused liver damage as indicated by significant increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Liver histopathological examination revealed marked necrosis and inflammation. Additionally, APAP decreased activities of hepatic glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) with significant increase in the hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Furthermore, APAP increased serum nitrite/nitrate (NO(2) (-)/NO(3) (-)) level and hepatic tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Pretreatment with BML-111 significantly reversed all APAP-induced pathological changes. BML-111 prevented the increase of AST, ALT, and ALP. Also, BML-111 markedly attenuated APAP-induced necrosis and inflammation. It decreased MDA with increase in SOD and GSH. Importantly, BML-111 decreased NO(2) (-)/NO(3) (-) level and TNF-α. These findings suggest that BML-111 has hepatoprotective effects against APAP-induced liver injury in mice. Its protective effect may be attributed to its ability to counteract the inflammatory ROS generation and regulate cytokine effects.