Synergistic Effect of Cyanidin and PPAR Agonist against Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis-Mediated Oxidative Stress-Induced Cytotoxicity through MAPK and Nrf2 Transduction Pathways

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is caused by an elevation in oxidative stress, which might further lead to hepatic fibrogenesis. Importantly, both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) play roles in modulating oxidative stress-mediated hepatic dysfunction. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of the multifunctional effects of cyanidin on regulating antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress-induced hepatotoxicity. The data indicated that cyanidin-mediated antioxidant enzyme expression involved the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways and Nrf2 activation. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of cyanidin and the PPAR agonist, troglitazone, on Nrf2-PPAR activation, was also observed. Besides, treatment of cyanidin and troglitazone abolished H₂O₂-induced downregulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism. In addition, H₂O₂-mediated cytotoxicity, which was caused by inducing ROS formation and apoptotic cell death, was also ameliorated upon cyanidin and troglitazone stimulation. In conclusion, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the transcription factor Nrf2 played regulatory roles in cyanidin-mediated antioxidant enzyme activation. Furthermore, the combination of cyanidin and troglitazone activated PPARγ-Nrf2 and improved H₂O₂-mediated perturbation of genes involved in lipid metabolism. These data suggested that cyanidin and PPAR agonists might have synergistic benefits against metabolic dysfunction-related oxidative damage.