Hyperoside protects against heart failure-induced liver fibrosis in rats

Heart failure (HF) is an end-stage of various serious cardiovascular diseases, which causes liver injury. Hyperoside has been reported to exert protective effect on liver injury and fibrosis. However, the role and related mechanisms of hyperoside in HF-induced liver fibrosis are still unclear. In the current study, we established a model of HF via aortocaval fistula (ACF) in rats in vivo. Hyperoside treatment in ACF rats increased cardiac output, the maximum peak rate of rise/fall in left ventricular pressure (+dP/dt, -dP/dt) and LV ejection fraction (LVEF), decreased LV end-systolic pressure (LVESP), LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and LV end-systolic volume (LVESV), and reduced heart weight/body weight ratio in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, hyperoside could attenuate liver fibrosis and injury in ACF rats, as evidenced by reduction of fibrosis area and hydroxyproline content, amelioration of edema and degeneration of liver cell vacuoles, and inhibition of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels. Further, α-smooth-muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, profibrotic factor-connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and MMP9 levels were down-regulated in hyperoside-treated ACF rats. Additionally, hyperoside inhibited the activation of TGF-β1/Smad pathway. Finally, we confirmed that hyperoside suppressed TGF-β1-mediated hepatic stellate cell activation in vitro. Collectively, hyperoside showed a suppressive role in HF-induced liver fibrosis and injury.