Abstract
Zearalenone are widely occurring food contaminants that cause hepatotoxicity. This research work aimed to investigate how zerumbone, a plant-derived dietary compound, can fight ZEA-induced hepatotoxicity. ZER is found to increase the cells’ toxin resistance. This study was performed on mice challenged with ZEA. The administration of ZER decreased the level of alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Simultaneously, ZER attenuated the inflammatory response via significantly reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum. Pretreatment with ZER reduced the hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, as well as the depletion of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), hepatic glutathione (GSH), and hepatic catalase (CAT). Moreover, it significantly ameliorated ZEA-induced liver damage and histological hepatocyte changes. ZER also relieved ZEA-induced apoptosis by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway and Nrf2 and HO-1 expression. Furthermore, ZER increasingly activated Bcl2 and suppressed apoptosis marker proteins. Our findings suggest that ZER exhibits the ability to prevent ZEA-induced liver injury and present the underlying molecular basis for potential applications of ZER to cure liver injuries.