Signaling pathways involved in p38-ERK and inflammatory factors mediated anti-fibrosis effect of AD-2 induced by thioacetamide in mice

Ginseng is a kind of medicinal and edible homologous plant, which is very common in medicine, food and even cosmetics. Ginsenosides are the main active constituents of ginseng, which has many pharmacological activities. AD-2 is a kind of ginsenosides extracted from ginseng and prepared in large quantities in our laboratory. However, their anti-fibrosis and mechanism are rarely reported. In this study, the anti-fibrosis pharmacodynamics of AD-2 was evaluated. The results revealed that AD-2 could reduce the expressions of Collagens 1, TIMP-1 and MMP-13, inhibit the deposition of ECM, and play an anti-hepatic fibrosis role. The mechanism and related pathways of AD-2 against liver fibrosis have also been studied. Inflammatory factors (including TNF-α, IL-1β, caspase-1 and IL-6) associated with hepatic fibrosis; p-JNK and p38-ERK pathway has been shown to be associated with the anti-fibrotic effect of AD-2. In conclusion, our study reveals that AD-2 as a small molecule targeted drug for improving liver function needs further study.