Anti-inflammatory and Anti-apoptotic Effects of Hypericum Japonicum and its Active Compounds in Hepatic Fibrosis.

objectiveTo explore the therapeutic efficacy of Hypericum japonicum (HJ) and its active compounds in mitigating hepatic fibrosis by elucidating their anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects.

methodsTwenty-four mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, model group, HJ-1 mg/g group, and HJ-2 mg/g group. A hepatic fibrosis model was established via carbon tetrachloride (CCl

resultsIn vivo experiments demonstrated that HJ intervention significantly ameliorated liver pathological damage, reduced liver function markers, and downregulated α -smooth muscle actin expression in mice (P<0.01). Network pharmacology and molecular docking revealed significant binding affinity between key HJ active constituents and core targets (e.g., Bcl-2, TP53, TNF-α). Eukaryotic transcriptomic analysis further identified core differentially expressed genes modulated by HJ, which were implicated in inflammatory response regulation and extracellular matrix receptor interaction pathways. Although HJ intervention did not significantly alter gut microbiota richness, it modulated metabolic and immune functions closely associated with hepatic fibrosis. In vitro, HJ active constituents significantly increased the viability of CCl

conclusionsHJ and its active ingredients elucidate the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects in hepatic fibrosis. Further they emerge as promising candidates for targeted therapy against hepatic fibrosis.