Prunella vulgaris Polysaccharides Counteract Chromium-Induced Liver Injury via Antioxidant and Gut Microbiota Pathways

Hexavalent chromium (K₂Cr₂O₇) induces liver damage in livestock, causing health and productivity losses.Prunella vulgaris polysaccharides (PVP) possess antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities.This study applied network pharmacology, network toxicology, animal experiments and in-vitro assays to explore the protective effects of PVP on K₂Cr₂O₇-induced hepatotoxicity.Network toxicology and pharmacology identified TP53, HIF1A, MYC as potential targets and revealed a connection to oxidative stress and apoptosis pathways.In-vitro, PVP showed strong antioxidant activity.In K₂Cr₂O₇-challenged mice given PVP by gavage (75mg/kg, 32 days), body weight loss was rescued, liver fibrosis and serum ALT/AST were reduced (P<0.01),serum inflammation cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10 were balanced (P<0.05),oxidative stress enzymes T-AOC, GSH-Px and SOD were restored (P<0.05).16S rRNA sequencing data suggested that PVP could alleviate intestinal flora disorders induced by K₂Cr₂O₇ and increased Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group levels.In AML-12 cells exposed to K₂Cr₂O₇ invitro, NQO1/HO-1/SOD2 levels were increased, MDA levels decreased, GSH concentrations elevated and ROS scavenged when PVP-containing serum was added to culture medium.Our findings reveal that PVP can protect mice from K₂Cr₂O₇induced hepatotoxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress damage, blocking inflammatory responses and regulating the gut microbiota balance.