Total flavonoids from Ficus virens Aiton leaves alleviate liver injury and protect against lipopolysaccharide-Induced sepsis in mice

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction from dysregulated host response to infection, causing high global mortality. Ficus virens, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, has anti-inflammatory effects in folk medicine; its main active component is total flavonoids (FLA), with unknown effects on sepsis-induced inflammation. We explored FLA's protective effects and mechanisms in a murine sepsis model induced by intraperitoneal LPS injection. High-dose FLA increased the survival rate from 12.5% to 50%. All FLA doses alleviated LPS-induced weight loss and hepatic injury, reduced serum IL-6, TNF-α, and ALT/AST, suppressed hepatic pro-inflammatory mediators/enzymes, modulated IL-10, diminished hepatic MDA, and enhanced SOD. FLA may protect by inhibiting TLR4/NLRP3 signalling and downregulating pyroptosis-associated proteins, serving as a potential botanical drug for sepsis-related liver injury.